World's End Little Sister Merlot 2010

If Jonathan Maltus made Merlot, it would probably be the best Merlot in the world. Oh, wait, he does... and some people might think it is.

Made in some of the best vineyards in California, by Mr Maltus, who is hailed as a 'visionary' by critic Robert Parker, it is a fleshy, luscious Merlot, with nuanced plum, damson and black cherry fruit and an interesting green olive twist.

Put it this way: if you put us in a room with a bottle of this and a slab of decent mature cheddar, you wouldn't see us for a long, long time...

Hailed 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 .

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 Coombsville, southern Napa. This cooler location allows the Bordeaux varietals to slowly achieve full phenolic ripeness before being harvested. Vinification is pretty similar to the wines they make 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 brought over wooden vats from Cognac, which allows a more seamless take-on of wood. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new French oak.

This boasts luscious flavours of black cherry and an interesting green olive note. It has a very voluptuous feel in the mouth.