Coppola's 2010 Silver Label Pinot Noir

Fans of the movie “Sideways” know that Pinot Noir is a moody, unreasonable grape. It is thin skinned, despises all manner of weather and, finally, is quite willing to wither or rot if not treated with the greatest sensitivity by man and nature.

Meanwhile, fans of Hollywood will recall that director Francis Ford Coppola almost cracked during filming of his classic “Apocalypse Now.”

Perhaps, then, the temperamental grape and the equally intense filmmaker belong together.

Coppola recently revamped his winery’s marketing strategy, turning out several different lines from the same varietal. The 2010 Diamond Collection, Silver Label Pinot Noir is a modestly priced, moderately interesting example of the much prized pinot noir genre.

On the nose, it resembles a basket of freshly picked forest berries with a velvety impression of rose petals wafting forward in equal measure. Behind this, you sense some brush and dry spice, but they wallow well to the rear.

Berries and fruit again stride with brash confidence across the palate, reminiscent of strawberries and summer, A secondary wave of dried leaves tries in vain to bring this bright flavor back to earth, but it is washed away by a juicy finish.

Coppola’s 2010 Silver Label Pinot Noir strikes me as a decent interpretation of the varietal—light in body and easy, almost fun to sip, though lacking the subtleties that drove characters in “Sideways” into reverie.