I think this is possibly the first English wine I've reviewed on theSpokengrape and after tasting this I hope it will not be the last. Denbies Hillside Chardonnay 2006 (£9.99) is a barrel fermented Chardonnay from just outside the M25 (low food miles, you'd hope), probably the most exciting thing to ever come out of Dorking. The usual critisims piped up by sceptical wine snobs is that, thanks to our maritime climate, English wines far too often come out, thin, lean and acidic. I'm not disputing this, there are a lot of shit English wines out there and it can be a case of 'once bitten, twice shy'. Another possible stumbling block is that compared to the characterless, samey-same, slightly sweetened fruit juice sold on massive supermarket mark-downs (think Yellowtail, Stowels and Gallo) English wines can seem quite expensive, seldom being retailed for less than £6.99. Sitting in this price band puts up a lot of competition from other producers from around the world.
But, lets not let this get in the way of the wine here. It's actually quite good. It's been barrel fermented, which means it brings some lovely sawdust, green wood and apple orchard elements to the table, it's got a little brine, soy and pear which makes things a little more interesting. The nose isn't hugely obtrusive, it sits in the background, gently nudging the taste on the palete forward into the limelight. The texture is extemely interesting, bringing a kinda oilyness to the party like a Viogner splashed around your mouth. For a wine which clocks in at a svelte 11.5% alcohol the body is pretty ample, filling your palate like a sumo in a bikini. The acidity is kept in check, so you don't get that stripped, abrasive and cut up palate sensation so common with wines that come from this far north. What I found amazing was what a difference in alcohol made to my evening drinking. Following a few glasses I still felt like I had energy left, to slump on the couch watching crap TV didn't seem such a temptation and I actually found myself, glass on board, doing the ironing, quietly buzzed, but not at all lethargic. I don't see the same happening if I had drank my way through a couple of glasses of 15% Aussie chardonnay.
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