| | | Top scoring wine at affordable prices. See our selection of top scoring wine for under $30 and our overall top scoring wines. Learn more about the wine scoring system. |
EXPLORE THE FOLLOWING TOPICS... Our top scoring wine
Top scoring wine for under $30
Wine scores. What are they and what do they mean?
Hear what famous wine critics say about wine scoring QUICK GUIDE TO WINE SCORES : Learn More Score: 96-100
Extraordinary An extraordinary wine of
profound and complex character... | Score: 90-95
Outstanding An outstanding wine of profound
and complex character... | Score: 80-89
Very Good A barely above average to very good wine displaying finesse and flavor... | Score: 70-79
Average Average with little distinction
except that it is soundly made... | Score: 60-69
Below Average A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies... | Score: 50-59
Unacceptable An unacceptable wine. Poor, undrinkable, not recommended. |
TOP 3 SCORING WINES :
| Wine Score |  | Chateau Troplong Mondot 2005 St. Emilion Bordeaux
Year: 2005 : France
$289.98
buy this | 99+ |  | Glaetzer 2006 Shiraz/Cabernet "Annaperenna"
Year: 2006 : Australia
$59.98
buy this | 96+ |  | Chateau Malescot St. Exupery 2005 Bordeaux
Year: 2005 : France
$159.98
buy this | 97+ | Back to Top
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TOP 3 SCORING WINES FOR UNDER $30 :
| Wine Score |  | Tablas Creek 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc
Year: 2006 : California
$29.98
buy this | 95+ |  | Ravenswood 2006 Zinfandel Big River
Year: 2006 : California
$29.98
buy this | 94+ |  | Zenato 2006 Ripassa
Year: 2006 : Italy
$23.94
buy this | 93+ | Back to Top
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WINE SCORES : WHAT ARE THEY AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN?  The practice of assigning scores has had an extraordinary effect on the wine market. Scores enable ordinary people to buy great wines without necessarily knowing anything about the wine. Unlike tasting notes, they can be understood universally. Scoring enables good, new wine producers to make a name for themselves and their wines much faster than ever before. The downside for wine drinkers is that prices inevitably rise steeply.
Who can score wines?
Well known wine writers and many others score wine. The prototype for scoring is that used by the American writer Robert Parker who did much to promote the controversial and highly influential practice of awarding scores as points out of 100, modeled on the American high school system. Many wine merchants (including us), brokers and auction houses include wine writers scores in their wine descriptions and wineries use them to market their wine.
Examples of scores are generally written as follows: Robert Parker - 85 Points! Advising you that Robert Parker has awarded the wine 85 points out of 100. Some wines have a range of points, for example: Robert Parker - (85-90) Points! This is usually because the wine was tasted and scored before bottling and finishing.
Back to Top WHAT FAMOUS WINE CRITICS SAY ABOUT WINE SCORING  Robert Parker from The Wine Advocate Journal (RP)
| | |  Robert Parker is the most influential wine critic in the world. His bi-monthly newsletter, The Wine Advocate, was first published in 1978 and now has a profound effect both on prices and market demand for fine wines around the world. His WineAdvocate journal and related website use his version of the 100-point scale which has 50 as the lowest possible score.
Parker’s tastings are done in peer-groups, single-blind conditions, which means that the same type of wines are tasted at the same time, though the producer of each wine is not disclosed at the time of the tasting. In his journal, Parker notes that he gives every wine an initial 50 points. General color and appearance can merit up to 5 points. Aroma and bouquet merit up to 15 points. Flavor and finish merit up to 20 points. Finally, the “overall quality level or potential for further evolution and improvement - aging” merits up to10 points. Parker explains his ratings in this way:
| Score | Explanation | | 96-100 | An extraordinary wine! Profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of it's variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume. | | 90-95 | An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. Consider these terrific wines. | | 80-89 | A barely above average, to very good wine, displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor, as well as character with no noticeable flaws. | | 70-79 | An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In short, a straight forward, innocuous wine. | | 60-69 | A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannins, an absence of flavor, or possible dirty aromas or flavor. | | 50-59 | A wine that is deemed unacceptable.
| Go to Robert Parker's Website |
The Wine Spectator (WS) | | |  The Wine Spectator is a longtime advocate of the popular 100-point rating scale. This is how the magazine explains its scoring "Wines are always tasted blind. Bottles are bagged and coded. Tasters are told only the general type of wine (varietal or region) and vintage. Price is not taken into account." The magazine says its ratings are based on "potential quality, on how good the wines will be when they are at their peaks."
| Score | Explanation | | 95-100 | Classic, a great wine | | 90-94 | Outstanding, a wine of superior character and style. | | 80-89 | Good to very good, a wine with special qualities. | | 70-79 | Average, a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws. | | 60-69 | Below average, drinkable but not recommended. | | 50-59 | Poor, undrinkable, not recommended.
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Stephen Tanzer's - International Wine Cellar (ST) | | |  Stephen Tanzer scores wine relative to their peer group based on their expected quality during their period of peak drinkability. A "+" after a score denotes a wine that is likely to merit a higher rating in the future. All wines rated 90 or better are highly recommended additions to your cellar (or, where indicated, for drinking over the near term); wines rated at least 85 are recommended bottles that should provide pleasurable drinking. Precise scores are provided only for wines in bottle; ranges are offered for unfinished wines. The midpoint of a range is used for purposes of sorting. For example, a wine with a rating of 87-90 is sorted as though it had a precise score of 88.5.
| Score | Explanation | | 95-100 | Extraordinary | | 90-94 | Outstanding | | 85-89 | Very good to excellent | | 80-84 | Good | | 75-79 | Average | | 70-74 | Below average | | <70 | Avoid |
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Here you can find more about wine scores and wine ratings. Wine scores have grown in great popularity over the decades especially from well-known wine ratings from critics like Robert Parker, James Laube and Steve Tanzer.
The wine scores and rating systems are typically looked for by people shopping for wine, as part of their decision making process. These scores enable everyday people to increase their probability of purchasing a great wine that will best suit their palette.
Wine scores also help to enable up and coming wine producers create a good name for themselves and brand. Established wine producers can sustain their wine brands or sometimes be damaged due to poorly produced wines.
Robert Parker and the critics of Wine Spectator magazine are the two most well-known authorities for wine scores and wine ratings worldwide. Their wine scores and ratings are sought out by beginners to masters of wine. Wine ratings go from 70 to 100. Typically anything over 90 is considered great, whereas if a wine is rated 95 and up, the wine is considered extraordinary. This is most often reflected in the price per bottle.
