A peachy, succulent chardonnay

The Edge is a superb interpretation of unoaked chardonnay, says Matthew Jukes.

2012 The Edge, Unwooded Chardonnay, Great Southern, Western Australia (£11.69, by the case only, Sporting Wines, 0161-440 0968).

One of the great pleasures of being a wine taster and writer is the surprise you get when a truly magnificent wine appears from out of nowhere. I have always been happy to receive unsolicited samples, but the obvious downside to this are the hundreds of hours spent tasting gallons of dross and innumerable trips to the bottle bank. But these are outweighed by the joy at finding a true great.

The Edge was sent to me by a MoneyWeek reader David Connor. He submitted it to me for consideration for next year's 100 Best Australian Wines list, but as this is nine months away, I felt that it ought to have coverage this summer because it is the perfect time of year to drink it.

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This is a superb interpretation of unoaked chardonnay. It is all about the fruit peachy, succulent and layered with hints of green melon and mint running through the sleek chassis. It is soothing and creamy and would work with any summer dish you care to mention. I highly recommend that you get The Edge on your pals with a case of this wine.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (www.matthewjukes.com).

Matthew Jukes

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.  

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’.  He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner. 

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy.  His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.