One of Napa Valley's most well-known wineries is Inglenook, formerly Rubicon Estate, owned by Francis Ford Coppola. According to an article written by San Francisco Chronicle wine critic Jon Bonné, Napa Valley’s legendary winemaker Robert Mondavi visited the Coppolas at the estate and said, “You realize what this is? You have bought the most beautiful, the most important winery property in the Napa Valley.”

Why did Francis Ford Coppola believe in and fight for the Inglenook name after achieving success and recognition with Rubicon and the Niebaum-Coppola Estate winery when Inglenook had been regarded as a cheap wine since the 1960s? Coppola saw something different. It meant coming full circle by reuniting the land, the name and eventually the old Inglenook cabernet once cherished at wine auctions.

The regal estate and mansion, with a 180-degree panoramic view of the valley floor from a Napa Valley hillside, is hallowed ground as it encompasses Napa Valley’s entire wine history. A century ago, it made bottles like the 1941 cabernet, which is regarded as one of the best wines in the new world.

The complete article can be found in Issue #276 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.