Earlier this week, I opened a bottle of Francis Coppola’s 2006 Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon…and loved it!Francis Coppola’s wine is from the Rosso & Bianco Winery in Sonoma County.As I recently learned in my wine class, Sonoma’s climate and soil is ideal for Cabs, and my tasting found that Coppola’s Cabernet embodies all of my expectations of a good California Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine is a deep, purplish-ruby that just screamed “drink me.”On the nose, there is a strong, but clean, spicy vanilla smell.Drinking the wine was very nice.The taste was dominated by vanilla and black fruits, and hints of black pepper contributed to the spiciness.There is a lot of soft tannins and acidity, and it definitely was medium-to-full bodied wine with a good length.

Overall, Coppola’s Cabernet Sauvignon is a very good “every day” type of wine.It’s very enjoyable, with a nice intensity that will help you settle into the evening after a long day of work.So, if you like strong flavored and aromatic wine, you’ll definitely enjoy this one, especially at $17 a bottle.