Veuve Cliquot Demi Sec NV

This was served out of decanter in this occasion to limit bead and improve texture match with paired dessert. Sweet of course, lemon-puff and candied peel style with soft marshmallow and white peach middle. Slightly creamy, and a little honeyed/mineral. Slightly short on the finish, but that's pretty common with a dessert fizz. Partnered beautifully with dessert of yellow peaches, raspberries and cream.

From "Champagne in the Brain" a fizzy rundown of ranges of Veuve Cliquot, Joseph Perrier, Laurent Perrier, Taittinger and Bollinger, April 2013. Read more>> 

Drink Now
15/20
295 AED + Tax

Veuve Cliquot Vintage Reserve 2004

The Vintage Brut resents dryer and crisper than the NV, with more bready character and a concerntration on mineral and savoury characters with some reserved green apple fruit. Slightly austere in flavours, but the body makes this wine more of a mouthful than other aperitif style Champagnes. Will probably age quite nicely too.

From "Champagne in the Brain" a fizzy rundown of ranges of Veuve Cliquot, Joseph Perrier, Laurent Perrier, Taittinger and Bollinger, April 2013. Read more>>  

Drink over 5 years
16.5/20
AED 375 + Tax

Veuve Cliquot Vintage Rosé 2004

Similar fruit to the NV (strawberries, red currant) but more toasty and yeast dominated, and plenty of vanilla on the nose. There is a huge candy hit in the mid-palate that some will love (I however found it disturbed the balance a little), and makes it a great Champagne for food - Christmas turkey would be perfect. Trophy winner Decanter World Wine Awards.

From "Champagne in the Brain" a fizzy rundown of ranges of Veuve Cliquot, Joseph Perrier, Laurent Perrier, Taittinger and Bollinger, April 2013. Read more>> 

Drink Now or over 3-4 years
15.5/20
450AED + Tax

Veuve Cliquot Rose NV

Generous red fruit on the nose, voluptuous palate full of wild strawberries and biscuit. Lovely length. Slight sweetness (only marginal, it's still a dry wine) and very fine bead. Explosive flavour, very good value.

From "Champagne in the Brain" a fizzy rundown of ranges of Veuve Cliquot, Joseph Perrier, Laurent Perrier, Taittinger and Bollinger, April 2013. Read more>>

Drink now or over 2 years
17.5/20
345AED + Tax

 

Veuve Cliquot Brut NV (Yellow Label)

Plenty of mousse and a warm but pale gold colour. Current bottling seems a little lighter in character than some years. It can be a very broad and yeasty Champagne, but is very nicely balanced at present. Nutty, brioche, red apple.  Not overly dry, and a good introduction to Champagne.

From "Champagne in the Brain" a fizzy rundown of ranges of Veuve Cliquot, Joseph Perrier, Laurent Perrier, Taittinger and Bollinger, April 2013. Read more>>

Drink Now
16.5/20
295AED + Tax
(buy it on special - the price varies greatly)

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

Duval-Leroy Brut NV

This Champagne is far too cheap. It's only 2/3 the price of Moet and yet its better - well, it is for those who like a richer style of fizz anyway. It's a very complex champagne, and delivers all round. Nose is almonds, apples and honey. Front palate bursts with red delicious and burnt sugar, middle palate is toasty with hints of redcurrant and gorgeously round. The finish is long, and spicy like a figgy pudding. It's a fantastic aperetif, being a meal in itself, yet its fullness means it will even deliver with a fruit and pastry based dessert like tarte tartin. Bargain Champagne. Also comes in 3 x 200ml packs at Dubai duty free for emergency Oh-God-I need-a-good-wine-in-my-lonliness moments.


Drink now or for 2 years
145AED + Tax (purchased at a duty free outlet)
16.5/20


PS - pronunciation is doo val lair hwah

Cattier Premier Cru Brut Rose NV

One of the least expensive rose champagnes on a Dubai shelf. And dirham wise, for a pink champers it does well. Strawberries and cream style up front, bursting with flavour, then tapering (possibly a little to quickly) to some toast and molasses development. Finish a little short, but its  nice and dry. The lack of complexity and length mixed with the oomphy front palate and bargain price is a trade off that essentially ends in value. At under 200aed this is a fab celebratory wine, especially for those who are considering the choice between big brand blanc brut and a cheaper rose.

Drink now
14/20
175AED + tax (purchased at duty free outlet)

Domaine Cordier Pouilly Fuisse 2010

For those that don't know the region, Pouilly Fuisse is a Chardonnay from Burgundy, but it's just south of the golden strip (Cote d'Or), and in the cheaper, warmer region of Mâconnais. It is however the shining star of the region, and many would say that you'd be better off buying a good brand Pouilly Fuisse than a super brand of Bourgogne Blanc, and I'd tend to agree. It does of course come down to style, and being a small vineyard area it has a distinct character and changes dramatically over vintages. So, the rule goes - buy Pouilly Fuisse in the good vintages, and Bourgogne blanc in the poor (because it can be blended over a larger area, and it's even possible that some grapes usually used for better wines will be declassified and added into the blend).

So - this wine. 2010 was a super vintage - low yeilding, good concentration, great acid, and yet still showing some lovely ripe flavours. It's a keeper. This wine is toasty and creamy on the nose with toasted almonds. Fruit is concentrated but not sweet - pineapple/citrus and slightly grapey (yes, I know, wine is made from grapes, but this

Chapoutier Bila Haut Blanc 2009

This white is from is a relatively small and high altitude vineyard, from a fairly hot wine growing region by french standards (Côtes du Roussillon). So what you get is a wine with both warm and cool characters - lowish acid combining with a cool honeydew melon fruit. It's both neutral and full, has a little spice and medium body, and a gorgeous earthy character hard to put my finger on - almost like biting into a piece of ripe brie. The blend is grenache blanc, grenache gris and macabeu - three varieties relatively unknown by new world drinkers. Everything is understated. Unlike it's red brother (Les Vignes de Bila Haut), it will not recieve great acclaim - but it's still a very drinkable white, albeit not for lovers of NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

Drink now or next year
45AED + Tax
13/20

Mumm Cordon Rouge NV

Mumm (pronounced on the short side of mewm, not "mum" as many say it) is on the gentle side of the spectrum. It's just sly of dry, seeming to have a higher dosage than many of the other big names. The acid is a little lacking for moi - but with Champagne, many would say this is a personal preference - some simply can't drink the steelier styles and would love this. Fruit flavours are relatively simple - a little yellow peach and dried pear, and there is the trademark Champagne marmite character also shining through. Quite golden in colour, and showing some nice honeyed development, but in my opinion, not the best at the price point.

Drink now or over 3 years
AED 240 + Tax
13.5/20

Chateau Correnson Lirac Rose 2010

My love of Lirac is no great secret, and this is a ripper little example. It's so completely redcurranty it's silly. Seriously, if you steeped the little blighters in a little pure alcohol and added just the right amount of sugar, they might taste a little like this. Just not as good. Even a bourbon slugger would be able to isolate the fruit character in this wine. It's got some lovely light tannins and almondy bitterness on the finish which seals off that vibrant nose and front palate nicely. A little candy-like on the finish, which may sway some - for me, it makes it dangerously quaffable. 


Drink now
50AED + Tax
14.5/20

Chapoutier Beaurevoir Tavel Rose 2010

It's such a vibrant shade, bursting with life, deep like a cherry, but with a flame burning behind it. Great example of Tavel, with all the morello and pomegranate you would hope to find, some super-fine tannins and a chewy/crispy redcurrant finish, complete with the acid you would also find in one of those zesty berries. A little sweet spice on the nose keeps it in balance. Serious rose at a less than serious price.

Drink now
50AED + tax
15.5/20

For more information on Tavel, including travel tips, check out this post:
A golden wine triangle - The best Red, White and Rosé in the Southern Rhone

Kientzheim-Kaysersberg Anne Boecklin Pinot Gris Schlossberg 2009

Wow - that name's a mouthful. And this is a whole mouthful of Pinot Gris. It's dessert style, rich and viscous with a lovely hint of botrytis (noble rot). This translates as a forward palate of crunchy nashi pears, a little toasted almond and a nectar finish that's 10% apricot, 90% jasmine. Not only to be drunk during dessert - it's not at the syrup end of the scale, but just sweet enough to also cut through something rich and fatty - like foie gras or a rendang curry.

Drink now or over 5 years
$28 US (duty free)
15/20

Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2010

Big fruity wine, and quite complex for a simple CDR blend. Almost a poor-man's-Condrieu, with over half the blend made up of mouth-filling apricot scented Viognier. A little spice and peel on the nose, tropical up front, big fat middle palate, and just enough acid to help it finish fragrant and long. A very versatile wine, and flavoursome enough even to go up against a curry. Worth seeking out.

Drink now or over 2 years
85AED + tax
16/20

La Grand Chapelle Bordeaux Sauvignon Semillon 2009 (Antoine Moueix)

A lesson for all buying wine in very hot countries - always check the vintage. Even when it's fresh stock, this kind of wine (low priced Bordeaux Blanc) is really supposed to be consumed within the first year or so of bottling. There could have been a little bottle variation here, but I doubt it. This wine is simply past its use-by. It's the colour of urine and smells like a dirty wet haystack. Relegated to cooking wine (maybe) Bring on the 2011 please...

Drink 2 years ago
30AED + tax
9/20

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

Sauvion Plaisir de Vigne Muscadet 2010

This is a simple Muscadet, so does not have the "sur lies" specification, meaning it does not rest "on lees" - on the spent yeast, but may be filtered. It's therefore a clean neutral wine. It's beautifully crisp, very mineral, and has a lovely flor sherry character (which, incidentally comes from the yeast). It's absolutely perfect for oysters. But don't stop there - it's a food wine, and will go with almost anything, particularly if its seafood or herb based. A great dinner party wine for connoisseurs if you can't afford Champagne. Careful though - you'll throw it back like lemonade.

Drink now or over next 2 years
40AED +
14/20

Henri Fabre Pure Dédicace Bandol Rosé 2010

This is probably breaking the rosé budget for many. At about 100AED plus tax in Dubai, it's not going to qualify as a quaffer. However, it's also a very good example of what you get when a winemaker takes rosé seriously. It's richer, fruitier, creamier than any rose I've had recently, and yet, still light in body, and steely dry on the finish. There's extra complexity, something a little cakey and spicy. Almost Eton mess in a glass - strawberries, redcurrant jelly and cream. But with a marzipan twist and dry, beautifully dry. Gorgeous.

Drink now
100AED + tax
16/20