Generally speaking, I struggle with California.

No, let me rephrase that. Generally speaking, I struggle with Californian wines. Often they’re either cheap branded wines with simple jammy fruit and little structure, or they’re incredibly expensive wines with jammy fruit and too much structure.

No, let me rephrase that again. Although a lot of the cheap wines are (to my palate, anyway) pretty undrinkable, and a lot of the expensive wines are made on the principle that more is more, in terms of fruit, alcohol, oak and price, there are an increasing number of very good Californian wines being made. I was out on the West Coast in September last year and tasted some of the very fine, elegant wines that are becoming the stock in trade of some of the State’s most innovative, intelligent winemakers. My only problem with these wines is that they don’t come cheap (and when I say they don’t come cheap, I mean that it’s often hard to get any change out of £30, and many are priced in the £40+ price range).

So when I went to the West Coast wine tasting earlier this week, I was on a bit of a mission. I wanted to find a Californian wine I could recommend that cost under £20. And (hurrah!) I found one. (Well, truth be told, I found a few, but this one was my favourite.)

Domaine de la Terre Rouge specialises in making wines from Rhône Valley grapes grown in the Shenandoah Valley, part of Amador County. Although the valley lies inland (and many of my favourite Californian wines benefit from the freshness and aromatics derived from a coastal climate), altitude and volcanic soils lend a vibrant character to Terre Rouge’s wines. The Tête à Tête 2010 is a blend of meaty mourvedre, spicy syrah and red-fruited grenache that comes across like an intense, turbo-charged Côtes du Rhône Villages, albeit with a bit more rich fruit. This is a warm, cosy, fireside wine that should see you through the last chilly days of March and on into spring. The 2011, which should be on the shelves soon, is slightly zestier and more savoury, a reflection of the cooler vintage. Either way, a bottle would go down very nicely indeed with a plate of bangers and mash or a herby lamb stew.

Rating: (What does this mean? See here for a guide to my rating system.)