World's End Against the Wind Cabernet Franc 2010

Jonathan Maltus has his feet in two camps: one at Château Teyssier, where he found fame as an avant-garde, 'garragiste' winemaker, and one in the Napa Valley, where he makes the stonking World' End wines, which have a discernible French lilt, like Little Sister. This Cabernet Franc has gorgeously rounded corners, and has oceans of sweet raspberry, coffee and mocha flavours and a structure to put the Golden Gate Bridge to shame. Californian heaven.

Hailed by Robert Parker as a ‘visionary’ and 'The English Winemaking Guru', Jonathan Maltus hails from Château Teyssier in Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France, where he produces a number of award-winning wines, including the iconic Le Dome (99 points RP).

He moved to California and World’s End represents the beginning of his extension into the Napa Valley, after 18 years producing award winning wines in Saint-Emilion. His adventure in Napa started in 2008 when he started importing wooden vats and sorting tables to produce Napa, to produce wines with a French slant from fruit handpicked mainly from the vineyards of Andy Beckstoffer – some of the finest in Napa.

The vineyard is situated in Sugarloaf Mountain, southern Napa. The climate there naturally provides a longer hang-time resulting in profound colour and intensity. Vinification is pretty similar to those wines the team makes in France. After running two sets of sorting (by bunch, then grape by grape) they look for a long cold soak before fermentation occurs. They bring wooden vats over from Cognac, which allows a more seamless take-on of wood. The wines undergo malolactic fermentation in new French oak.

The wines tend to be completely influenced by the team’s experience as avant-garde winemakers, or 'garagistes', during the 1990's in Saint-Emilion and have a French lilt to them.