Danie De Wet Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2011

Well, Wine-Ed-101 will tell you that limestone and good wines go together, so I picked this up hoping it wasn't a marketing campaign to make a hill full of stones and planted with lime trees, sell. Lucky, it's not. And, it's quite a lovely surprise. This wine is for those who love their Chardonnays with a real punch. It's that free-draining gravelly soil taking water away from the vine and concentrating the berries. It's absolutely choc-a-bloc with flavour. The nose is lusciously leesy - yeast, butter, vanilla and nuts - like walking past a bakery that's just taken almond croissants out of the oven. The fruit hits after a little sweetness on on the front palate - mainly green apples and white peach. The flavour on finish is a little short, but it's worth it for that tongue smack, and at least the acid plays nicely around the mouth, preventing all those rich and slightly sweet flavours from cloying.

Drink now or for 2 years
AED 55 + tax
15.5/20

Lamblin Chablis Fourchaumes 2010

This Chablis is from a lovely vintage and a very well rated premier cru. Fourchaumes is one of the better crus to start with after trying a few village Chablis - it doesn't break the bank, drinks fairly well early, and usually shows that extra depth of minerality that you don't get so much in the village wines. But this particular one is a step beyond. Maybe I just opened it at the perfect moment, but this is one of the best wines I have had all year.

It's powerful nose is intoxicating enough - green apples, sage, cinnamon, even a little green mango, but what gets me most is the finish. After a mouth-filling, slightly creamy and intensely peachy middle, it stretches into a generous seam of lime, saline, honeysuckle and minerals that just keeps on going and going until it reaches throughout your entire nervous system. Oh my god - weak at the knees stuff, you can taste it even a minute after you've swallowed it. Now, I know I bought it at Duty Free in the Airport, and I can tell you that the price should be about 200AED, but I'm pretty sure it's quite a bit less. You might even pick it up in the UK for just over 20 quid.

Drink Now or save for 4 years +
170AED (approx - sorry, I forgot!)
18.5/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2011

Squeaky clean chardy that is bound to be a room pleaser - not too heavy and buttery, and not the other flinty extreme either. Just some light fruit hints of green mango and lemon oil, mixed with gorgeous bready yeast, which is the highlight. Does not taste like a mass produced wine, and will probably even age for a year or two - rare for an Aussie Chardonnay.

Drink now or over 3 years
70AED +
14/20

La Chablisienne Petit Chablis 2010

This entry level Chablis (100% Chardonnay) is pretty decent. It's got a couple of years on it now, and is showing some richness that it wouldn't have previously, and has softened out nicely around the edges. Saying that, it's still slightly mineral and has some lovely lemon peel notes, so retains its Chablis style - it's far from flabby. Best thing about it is the lingering finish, complex and creamy like a great quality organic honey on artisan sourdough. Ok - a bit verbose, but true. High priced for a Petit Chablis, but probably worth it.

Drink now
80AED + tax
14.5/20