Pieropan Soave 2011

There's a whole heap of Soave out there that makes it hard for any decent producerer in the region to charge a reasonable amount for their product. It's a bit like all that $5 Australian Chardonnay, in that it's created a niche for itself that is broadly "tastes OK for a cheap wine". And so, we can buy any number of Soaves off the Dubai shelf for about 30AED - they've got a little in the way of aromatics, some zing, and are always good with food (probably because they are so watery and neutral).

But just like Aussie Chardonnay, that's not what Soave is really all about. It's about a grape called Garganega, which, when made well, has an intense level of natural spice, is fragrant and floral, and has a long and flavoursome finish full of citrus and stone fruit. In the Soave Classico DOC, where this Pieropan wine hails from, the alluvial soils are less fertile than on

Martin Codax Albarino 2011

Warm straw coloured. Wow - smashing banana lollies on the nose, giving way to pineapple and herbs, very aromatic. Palate has citrus and apricot and some ever so-subtle lean grassiness. Finish is lemon pie and minerals. Slightly oily on the palate, in a good way - makes it very gluggable. Nice and dry, and an excellent alternative to give all my Sauvignon Blanc loving friends when I'm sick to death of New Zealand gooseberries and cats pee. Drink with grilled fish with a salty charcoal crust.

Drink Now
15/20
70 AED + Tax

Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame 1998

Gorgeous. A big yeasty nose with a slap-in-the-face character of honey and butter on hot toast. Threads of hair-thin bead trail in the glass. Lovely mineral/autolytic palate with a finish of strawberries and rhubarb laced with malt and sherbet. This wine blew me away in the lineup of several champagnes, for it's length - which just went on for minutes - and superb development.

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
18/20
1015AED + Tax

Zenato Santa Cristina Vigneto Massoni Lugana 2011

It's Trebbiano, Jim, but not as we know it. There are some who would say it's not Trebbiano at all, but something else, closer to Vermentino, but not quite that either. Lugana is a tiny region that runs along the shore of Lake Garda in Veneto, and there are a couple of wines styles from the region, but all come from the same grape, Trebbiano (or it's little sister).

It's so much richer and more vibrant than the slightly nutty but fairly neutral Trebbianos you might find elsewhere. Instead it's perfumed and slightly floral, and also a little like a vanilla tea cake. I'm not quite sure where this vanilla/cake flavour comes from though, because the wine is completely unoaked. The palate reveals a little sneaky citrus - almost like a clementine but so soft, and then bending into white peach and orange blossom. It finishes with just a touch of green almond.

Fantastic food wine, but keep the dishes fresh and simple - chicken caesar salad, grilled white fish, or for a contrast, a gentle triple brie with some herb crackers - you know the kind of thing. Lovely, lovely wine.

Drink now or for 1-2 years
60AED + tax
17/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling 2007

Well, this was a find. Usually I would veer away from any white older than 3-4 years for sale in the UAE (except perhaps a super dooper white that is in the temperature controlled cabinet), due to the storage issues - I've had more than a couple of cooked whites from 2009 this year. But, this wine was under stelvin (screw cap), and I know it well - it ages very nicely, and 2007 was a long cool ripening season for the Barossa region where this comes from - making it a good Riesling candidate for a little extra time in bottle. Besides, I was nostalgic for Aussie Riesling, and this was all I could find.

This time I hit the jackpot - kinda. It's a great example of what happens to Riesling when it ages - it's got that slightly resinous/waxy character that many call petrol - but it's not petrol at all. It's hard to describe. In fact, it would be better to compare it to the smell of lemon essential oil as compared to fresh lemon. Imagine that's what's happened to your fresh floral limey riesling. It's more savoury, more concentrated than the real thing, and sitting a little off-tangent. This oily texture and slightly lanolin nose is accompanied by a little toast (from age, definitely not oak).

Then we get into the fruit. It's still there in buckets - mainly lime of course, with the last lingering floral nuance, which will probably disappear over the next year and be replaced by a dried saffron and then hay character, which is already creeping in. Right before the finish you get a saline/mineral hit. The downer with this wine is that the end is a little short. The acid is still darling, but I was kind of hoping that I'd get a little honey and toast to finish me off. That doesn't really happen - heaps of limey essential oil and a whisper of marmalade.

Ah well, you can't have it all. This wine is very cheap for its quality, and I doubt you'll ever find another aged Aussie Riesling on a Dubai shelf. Get in quick - there's not much left (MMI).

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AED 59 + tax
16/20

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

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

Tommasi Bosco de Gal 2010

This is a very inexpensive blend that packs a punch. The grape varieties are Trebbiano, Garganega, Malvasia and Cortese. Cortese is the famed Gavi variety, and Garganega is the same of Soave. Here, they come together with a couple of flavoursome (but often low acid and a little light on complexity) varieties to form a Bianco di Custoza. Custozas are usually fairly good value and this is not an exception. It's fruity, with apricot, orange blossom and cantaloupe up front and some lean lemon peel stretching through the finish. Good balance for the price and a lovely every-day drinking wine.

Drink now
45AED + Tax
14/20

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

Villa Sandi Pinot Grigio 2011

Well this one's a surprise. During wine training I remember someone telling me a good Italian Pinot Grigio would taste like bananas. 15 years later, and I've finally tasted one. This is not your typical insipid crowd-pleaser, but a full and serious wine. It's jammed with flavour, and yet still finishes dry and neutral with that trademark bitter almond lash that keeps it firmly in the relam of 'food wines'. Fruit flavours are mainly up front - banana of course, a little marshmallow and fresh star anise. Apricots are a merest nuance twisting through the middle and back palate. Luverly.

Drink now and for 3 years
AED 65 AED + Tax
17/20

Torres Vina Esmarelda 2010

This is a wine that is hard not to like, at least for the first glass - exceptionally fragrant, and yet deceptively dry. But it's also like a beautiful woman wearing a stunning perfume, just a little too much of it. The fragrance (lychee, jasmine and ripe, ripe pears) can overwhelm all around it, and rather than dissipate as you drink, it almost grows and dominates the palate. Many would not agree, and would argue that it's almost grape-burstingly-textured muscat and luscious Gewurztraminer is a perfect accompaniment to meals so traditionally full of flavour they dominate the wine (e.g. a Thai green curry). I would say it's a gorgeous, clever wine, but just for an aperitif with your melon and jambon, and then onto something a little more neutral.

Drink now or for 2 years
45AED + Tax
14.5/20

D'Arenberg "The Stump Jump" White blend 2010

Considering its price, this is a very complex little number - but I guess that's no surprise, as it contains at least 4 grape varieties that are vastly different and incredibly aromatic (Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne). It's a funny old thing - tropical and citrussy like a sauvignon and then all fat with honey and rockmelon. A touch of residual sugar makes it supremely quaffable. Good crowd pleaser for a party.


Drink now
50AED + tax
13.5/20

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

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

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

GPG Garganega Pinot Grigio 2011

I picked this one up for three reasons - one, it was cheap, two, it has Garganega in it, and I'm a big fan of Soave (Garganega is the main grape variety of this great value dry, fragrant and yet neutral white wine), and it's a joint operation between a UK merchant I know little about, but more importantly, a Piemontesi wine producer by the name of Araldica, who are improving their quality by leaps and bounds. It's a simple wine, but well made. The nose is full of stewed apples and pears, and the palate has some lovely acidity. It's a fab everyday wine, and definitely worth the money.

Drink now
35AED + tax
13.5/20

Cantina di Custoza Pinot Grigio 2011

A little more forward than many other Pinot Grigios on the market. Ripe nose, full of fruit (pears mainly), but also a little chemical/oily smell, which fortunately does not dominate. A little spice on the palate, again, rare for modern Italian Pinot Grigio, and welcome, as far as I am concerned. Lovely long tropical finish - dried pineapples - and a little almond kick just to make sure it doesn't cloy. Fuller body than most PGs, and good for drinking on its own, rather than all the others, which need something served with them to make them taste like something.

Drink now
50AED + tax
13.5/20