Coppola Debuts in Sonoma

Old Estate to get a Coppola Make Over

SONOMA—Considering his swanky Napa digs, it's hardly surprising that director Francis Ford Coppola recently set his sights one of the grandest wineries in Sonoma County, Chateau Souverain. An appropriately dramatic backdrop for his expanding food and wine empire, Geyserville's favorite faux chateau comes with acres of vines, a ready-made restaurant, tasting room, breath-taking views and, reportedly, even the zoning for a hotel—the perfect setting for a full-scale production of Hollywood proportions. Leaving one question: Is Sonoma ready for Coppola?

In March 2006, Coppola inked the deal to take over the former digs of Chateau Souverain just north of Healdsburg as headquarters for his Coppola Diamond and Francis Ford Presents wines—both value-priced brands compared to the pricey Rubicon wines produced at Coppola's Niebaum-Coppola (recently renamed Rubicon) Winery headquartered in Napa. The Chateau Souverain brand will move production northward to Cloverdale where owners say they'll concentrate on the wine, rather than running an estate.

Coppola supporters look forward to the director breathing much-needed new life into the estate, much as he did with the sagging Ingelnook property in Napa. Over the last 25 years, Coppola has slowly bought up the entire estate and chateau, transforming it into one of the most-visited wineries in Napa, with much of the appeal for visitors in the juxtaposition of winemaking, local history and Coppola's own personal Hollywood memorabilia dotting the property. That and the ever-hopeful sighting of Coppola, or daughter Sophia. Call it Hollywood goes Napa.

Whispers of a high-end destination restaurant at the Sonoma winery are swinging local gastronomes onto Coppola's good side. Since the departure of Gary Danko from the kitchens of Chateau Souverain, the estate's culinary reputation has sagged dramatically. Though nothing has been announced yet, Coppola already owns several restaurants and food product lines—most notably the Mammarella Brand of pastas and sauces. We say, don't be shocked if the restaurant has an Italian bent.

With Sonoma County operations still in flux, its yet to be seen whether this new outpost will swing high-end--Coppola recently re-branded his Napa estate "Rubicon," where you'll need to lay out a whopping $25 just to get in the door, and most of the Rubicon label wines are well into the $50 and up range--or whether the Sonoma outpost will continue the mass-market glitz appeal that made Napa's Niebaum-Coppola so popular with tourists. Either way, we're confident the Coppola name will continue to have a significant draw at what's being dubbed Chateau Coppola.