No substitutes for this unique Champagne

NV Moutard, Champ Persin, Cte des Bar, Champagne, France (£29.99, Askewine, 020-8746 1585; Askewine.com).

I don't drink an awful lot of Champagne. I would rather seek out a great dry or even off-dry white wine at Champagne-o'clock with which to slake my thirst. Champagne is expensive you could say that virtually every bottle of Champagne is a tenner more than it was a decade ago and I don't want to spend a fortune on run-of-the-mill Champs. Comparing the price of Champagne with still wine, I am amazed I ever drink the stuff.

Of course, there are a handful of exceptions. I adore a few of the great houses and a few of the artisan producers, too. Moutard was not one of these until I tasted this wine a fortnight ago, but it is a remarkable wine and offers uncommon value.

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From the southerly Cte des Bar region, with its riper fruit and bolder flavours, and made from 100% chardonnay, the key point here is that there is no malolactic fermentation employed, so the acidity is searingly dry. A dramatic finish is balanced by the lush palate. It is incredibly clever and I was amazed with the pleasure/tension flavour ratio that kept me heading back to the glass for more. This is one Champagne that offers a unique flavour and it should never be substituted with a still white wine!

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

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

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

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.