Wine of the week: a serious but affordable champagne

NV Henri Billiot, Brut Rserve, Grand Cru, Ambonnay, Champagne, France (£28.99, Raeburn Fine Wines of Edinburgh, 0131-343 1159; £25.50 by the case, Farr Vintners of London, 020-7821 2000).

I always attend the annual Comit champagne tasting at the Banqueting House in London, and it is usually a great opportunity for me to work through a wide range of wines and find some new recommendations for my readers.

The organisational chaos at this year's event prevented me from covering as much ground as Id have liked, but it didn't stop me from finding a few simply stunning wines.

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I'm not going to blurt out all of the stars this week (most were famous names), but to celebrate my 300th column in MoneyWeek, I thought I'd shine the spotlight on a little-known, but staggeringly serious and affordable wine.

I used to buy a fair amount of Billiot in the old days, but have lost touch with it of late and my reunion with this grand cru beauty was heart-stopping. Made from 75% pinot noir and 25% chardonnay, this heady, flamboyant but devastatingly beautiful wine is such a snip. The vintage 2005 is also an attractive creation and it is under £35.00. Do not miss out.

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