Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Geyserville
Sure, you may love the smell of Napa in the morning, but I’ll do you one better: Sipping a glass of the Director’s Cut Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir at Francis Ford Coppola Winery while perusing props and ephemera from Apocalypse Now!—boom.
Filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola have blended Hollywood and vines since the mid-’70s. With high-end moves in Napa and populist pursuits in Sonoma, the Coppolas built a wine empire, part of which they sold in 2021 to Delicato Family Wines.
The fam said ciao to the brand name “Francis Ford Coppola Winery” but kept the classic Inglenook brand in Napa Valley, which they restored over decades, and another wine interest in Oregon. However, the movie memorabilia and award-winning wine portfolio remain intact and on display at the Geyserville location.
Among the cinematic relics are the prop cameras slung around Dennis Hopper’s neck as the “Photojournalist” (as seen above). Naturally, as a journo, wino and filmmaker, this gets me kinda heady. Or maybe it’s just the wine (jury’s out). If you know the film—now celebrating its 45th anniversary this year—you also know Eleanor’s 1991 documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, the doc that captured the madness of its making. I recommend a double feature—two bottles of the Director’s Cut—and maybe watch the films too.
Francis Ford Coppola Winery is located at 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville. francisfordcoppolawinery.com.
