The namesake is obvious if you know that this wine comes from Francis Ford Coppola’s vineyard. His daughter, Sofia Coppola most notorious screen appearance was in her father’s The Godfather III. I will not contribute to common editorial on her uneven performance. However, it is with ease I can express my intellectual crush on her. Her directorial style reflects an intelligent feminine vision as exposed in The Virgin Suicides and Lost In Translation. This wine captures that style.
In my past I may or may not have started on Rosé; somehow a direct relation to my grandma Tippi’s devotion for White Zinfandel. My taste evolved and I whole heartedly stirred away from ultra-sweet Rosé wines typical of low budget Californian mass production; White Zinfandel. I shifted to big wines that did not require refrigeration – Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, and obviously Zinfandel (must I say Red!) that captured my devoted attention. In time, my wine palate would include white wine.
It was the summer of ’05 and I opened up to the magic of the Rosé. I removed California from the equation and traveled primarily to France and occasionally to Italy for dry, refreshing, and satisfying Rosé. Old World Rosé is constructed with a combination of complex flavors and lightness which contrasts with the New World California sweetness in all its forms – White Zinfandel, White Merlot, or the general Blush.
Sofia Rosé – Carneros Pinot Noir 2004 is special. I discovered this wine in the depths of a New York winter. The feminine designed label fits perfectly with the bottle’s curves. The bottle displays the seductive red and white color of the wine. The wine duplicates and captures the original Provençal style and Mediterranean flavor of an Old World Rosé. When I tasted her; it felt like Rosé perfection; it is a perfectly balanced wine. I love that she is from California and respects the Old World tradition.
