Marmesa

For too long Californian wine in the UK has been split between two extremes. At one end of the scale there are the the top wines that are extravagantly priced and available in tiny quantities, and at the other there are the big brands selling gallons of inexpensive sugary-sweet rose. That left a very large gap in the middle for someone to produce high-quality, value for money Californian wines at an affordable price. That someone was Larry Brooks.

A Margarita-loving winemaker with over thirty years experience on the Californian wine scene, Larry's CV, sorry, resume includes stints in charge of the cellars at top wineries including Acacia and Chalone. Today, he uses his wealth of contacts to source grapes for the Marmesa range. This micro negociant-style approach means Larry can cherry pick small parcels of fruit from top vineyards and blend them together to produce the sort of wine he likes to drink - and at a price far lower than other American wines of a similar quality.

All the grapes come from San Luis Obispo in the Central Coast, a cooler, maritime influenced area that produces ripe, elegant wines with fantastic balance. The wines may be Californian in spirit but the understated restrained fruit you find in the glass shows Larry's love of European style wines. The Chardonnay is unoaked, letting the soft peach and citrus fruit take centre stage. The Pinot Noir and Syrah are classic varietal reds with cool red fruit notes dominating the Pinot and sweet, spicy blackberries on the Syrah. The Red Harvest Dessert Pinot Noir shows Larry creative side. Offered some botrytised Pinot Noir for a song, he snapped up the grapes, whacked them in the deep freeze and then produced a small amount of vinous nectar: intensely sweet and honeyed with subtle red berry fruit tucked in behind. It is a superb partner for chocolate.