Riorret Pinot Noir (Merricks Grove) 2009

Sorry Dubai drinkers - I'm swilling this in Oz, and you'll probably never see it. But it's just so good, I have to tell you anyway. And, I'm going to go on a bit. Maybe it will seal your faith in De Bortoli - the tall poppy label hiding behind this boutique little number. They've always been able to work a little magic with Pinot Noir - whether you're looking at what they do with Phi, the Yarra Valley Reserve range and even good old Gulf Station and Windy Peak (these are available in the UAE). I'd happily raise a flag to them and state they are the most consistent producers of Pinot Noir in Australia at a wide range of price points.

Now. The wine. I'm still sipping it as I write, although I'm sure it will not last long. Considering I'm at my computer and enjoying it so much, I've done a little Google search. I'm not the only one who's loved this - not surprising. What IS surprising is that the reviews I have read do not seem to reflect the wine I've currently got in my glass. Well not entirely. But is this a reflection on the reviewer, the timing, the bottling or the grape?

That's the amazing thing about Pinot. It's so deliciously volatile and as easy to upset as the princess and the pea. That's why it changes so much from year to year in the bottle. Why it tastes so varied in different glasses, and why it even tastes different in the same glass depending on how much is in it, and how long it's been in there. It's why the fruit character is so deeply affected by the quality of the cork, the level of brett and the strength of the phenols. It's why everyone who has any great love of wine almost always ends up adoring Pinot Noir over almost any other grape.

Can you tell I'm enjoying this?

What I can taste is strawberries, and amazingly, not a single reviewer has mentioned them. But they are so strong, they're not only jumping out of the glass, freshly picked from the field, but also appearing deep in the finish, jammy or preserved. The other reviewers found leaf, spice, rose petals, red currants and bacon. I don't really get this. Sure, there's a little smoke (bacon), and maybe some tobacco (leaf), and I see what one guy means by the rose petals - it's delicate, more so than many Pinot Noirs from this region. There is definitely a little spice - pimento-like with a touch of black pepper, I would say.

But what it comes down to is always personal in the details, and what really matters is that the wine is balanced. It has great sweet fruit on the front, which is weighted by savoury flavour and acid through the palate. The tannins are impeccably fine (all reviewers agree on this). It's complex but not difficult - just how I like a pinot. And how everybody should.

Buy it.

Drink now and for 5 years
Not available in UAE - purchased in Australia for $37
18/20

Cossetti Barbera d'Asti La Vigna Vecchia

I played wine options with my husband on this wine. He first picked it as New World (as against old), and then as Spanish (rather than French or Italian). He finally got the grape variety (I offered him a choice of Barbera, Sangiovese and Merlot). He was way off on vintage. But he's a fairly good wine taster - why? It's because this wine tastes much younger, more vibrant and more fruit driven than many would expect. It's almost a little like a serious Beaujolais - all dark cherries and spice with nuances of raspberry and vanilla on the finish. Body is medium, tannins are light and acid is fairly soft. There's a little earthy hint to the middle palate, but nothing like the rusticity you might expect to find in an old vine Italian wine from a time-tested region. Quite clean actually, and dangerously quaffable - especially in this climate.

Drink now or for 3 years
80AED = tax
15/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

My favourite tasting from the range. Shows intense regional and varietal character - it's just a bundle of blackcurrant, eucalypt and mineral salts from that super Coonawarra soil. Quite ripe and forward with excellent body, slightly grippy tannins and some lovely complexity with delicate oak treatment and savoury leaf notes.


Drink now or for 5 years
70AED + tax
15/20