Scene : Chateau Coppola

It was an odd collection of famous faces--Francis Ford Coppola, Father Guido Sarducci (alias comic Don Novello) and assorted members of the Grateful Dead were in attendence. So were dozens of Napa Valley’s best winemakers and about half the town of St. Helena, population 5,100. With a single party, hosted by Coppola for more than 3,000 of his closest friends, the moribund chateau that was once Inglenook winery found new life.

Coppola, who started Niebaum-Coppola Winery just up the road in 1978, spent a reported $10 million to acquire the historic Inglenook winery (founded in 1879) and surrounding vineyards from Heublein Wines three months ago. Its new name: Niebaum-Coppola Estate, Vineyard and Winery.

Heublein, which sold the Inglenook brand to Canandaigua Wine Co. of New York late last year, hadn’t used the stone-facaded chateau-style Inglenook winery to make wine for more than two decades. The facility’s only use in recent years had been as a site fo hospitality events and a tasting room.

A spokesman says Coppola intends to use the facility to make wine, adding, “The plans aren’t finalized yet, but the property is going to look better than ever.”

“Isn’t this great,” exuded Jack Davies, owner of the Schramsberg Winery north of town. “The place had been dead and now look at it. In one evening, he’s brought it back to life.”