Whether you’re bringing a bottle to a party, as a gift, or just a personal treat for yourself, wine usually makes for a great purchase, as long as you think about what exactly you’re going to buy. There’s a wide variety of choices out there which might seem a bit overwhelming at first. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list that should help you out in making a final decision!
Below, we’ll talk about some of the highest rated wines on wine.com, discuss their defining traits and hopefully give you an idea about which bottle to buy next time, based on your needs. In essence, they’re all excellent choices with their own set of merits, so whatever you choose it will without a doubt not end up being a waste.
[This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and purchase the product we will get a small percentage of what you spend.]
#1 Château Margaux 2016
The number one best-rated wine on wine.com is from Chateau Margaux. Margaux is an appellation in the district of Bordeaux in France, and it’s widely known for cultivating supple, perfumed wines. Red wines from this area are regarded as an excellent choice due to their strong structure and deep flavors, due to the tannins that are usually pretty high when it comes to these blends. The flavor profile coming from various dark berries and fruits along with sweet overtones leave nothing to be desired if you’re looking for a wine with strong impact.
This wine regularly receives 95+ points from the top wine critics in the world. You can typically buy wine futures before the latest vintages are released.
#2 Cabernet Sauvignon Colesworthy 2014
This one comes straight from St. Helena, one of Napa’s appellations with a warm climate, which is why it’s so suited for cultivating well structured, rich red wines. This aromatic wine strikes a great balance between hints of blackberries and notes of vanilla. It’s no doubt that it’ll build an even more impressive intensity over the years, but it still provides an excellent experience as it is.
This vintage received 100 points from James Suckling. This is another incredibly reliable wine. You will find 90+ ratings on every vintage of this carefully crafted Napa wine.
#3 Sine Qua Non Touche Syrah 2012
The Sta. Rita Hills, the home of this red wine, is definitely one of the coolest regions in Santa Barbara County. That is thanks to the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the unique valleys that funnel cool air into the vineyards. This allows the wines from this region to retain their natural acidity. With that said, the wine itself has an amazing texture along with notes of smoke and cured meats, which in combination with various dark fruits ensure a great experience on your end after giving it four to five years to age.
This is a truly amazing winery. They qualify as one of California's cult wines even though they are from the Central Coast and not the vaunted Napa Valley.
#4 Maybach Family Vineyards Materium 2015
Napa Valley is without a doubt a first-rate wine region thanks to its climate and geology. That, along with the fact that the wines are crafted using particularly high standards; it’s no surprise that this Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the highest rated wines on wine.com. It delivers great notes of pure, dark fruit balanced with various earthy aromatics. It’s an amazing drink after giving it a couple of years to mature.
This wine received 100 points for two vintages in a row from Robert Parker. That should give you some idea of how highly respected the wine is. This wine easily features as a "best of" wine on wine.com.
#5 Chateau Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse 2015
Moving away from a string of California's top wines, we head back to France. This one comes from Saint-Emilion, hands down one of the most important appellations in the Bordeaux district, famous for being the home of most high-end vineyards. The wine has a fine structure and a powerful, concentrated flavor of dark fruit. Sweet and intense, it offers a satisfying balance you wouldn’t want to miss.
Here is what one of our favorite reviewers, Vinuous, had to say about it:
One of the undisputed stars of the vintage, the 2015 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is dark, brooding and explosive to its core. The essence of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, graphite, crushed rocks, gravel, smoke and incense infuses a dramatic, sweeping Saint-Émilion endowed with superb power and intensity. Sumptuous, spectacularly rich and also massively structured, the 2015 is going to need at least a decade to come into its own. Those lucky enough to find it are in for a treat, as the 2015 is a total stunner. Nicolas Thienpont and his team hit a number of home runs in 2015, including at Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse, where both wines are simply great. Tasted two times with consistent notes.
#6 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 2007
Here’s another excellent red wine from the Central Coast, California. The combination of deep, powerful dark berry flavor in contrast with a particular freshness that’s hard to imagine coming from the same bottle is what makes this one a winner. Definitely, something that’ll drink well over the following years, and a worthy purchase on your end.
#7 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2008
Making it this far, it’s apparent that red wines have been dominating this list, so it’s time to switch it up and take a look at this vintage sparkling wine from Champagne, France. It leaves a fruity aftertaste with lovely flavors of apple and citrus and offers a remarkable purity to it. Critical acclaim suggests drinking from 2020-2025 for savoring the most out of this vintage wine.
#8 M. Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite 2012
To no surprise, we’re back to red wines, but staying in France. This is an Hermitage wine, coming from the Rhone Valley, certainly, one of the most persistently prestigious wines France has to offer. Hermitage wines, both red and white are generally well known for their rich aromas of coffee and red berries, or tropical fruit and earthy minerals. All in all, this one is no exception from the others; it’s a strong flavored and long-lived wine that’s worth the money.
#9 Alban Reva Estate Syrah 2006
Next up, we’re looking at an incredibly concentrated purple-colored wine from Central Coast, California. Definitely provides an acquired taste that is not for everyone, but the various layers of flavors and notes of pepper, camphor, and blackberry are something you won’t want to skip if you’re a long-time wine lover. Critical acclaim suggests drinking now through 2022.
#10 Chateau Lafleur 2010
Last off on our list of the best-rated wines on wine.com, this is another Bordeaux Red Blend from France. If you’ve paid attention so far, you’d assume that this one also features aromas of dark fruits and berries, and you’d be exactly right! Notes of tropical fruits are also present, and you’ll also want to drink this one from 2020 to 2040, for the best experience possible.
Here is what Robert Parker had to say about this wine;
Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2010 Lafleur put in an absolutely no holds barred astonishing performance. Lafleur is wont to improve in bottle and this is certainly the case apropos the 2010. It has a boisterous ripe blackberry, cranberry, sous-bois and graphite-scented bouquet that is an absolute beauty. Power mixed with quite brilliant precision, you almost want to laugh at its sheer audacity. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin; there is immense depth and wonderful cohesion. Mineral-drenched black fruit, a slightly chalky texture and outstanding energy and tension on the finish - this is a magnificent Pomerol from the Guinaudeau family. Tasted December 2016
Conclusion | The Highest Rated Wines On Wine.com
And with that, our list of the highest rated wines one wine.com has come to an end. These wines are a popular choice of many wine connoisseurs for good reason. Now that you have read our guide, you should have a better understanding of exactly why that is. Most of these highly rated wines start with top vineyard locations. Having the absolute best fruit available gives these winemakers a leg up.
The next key is concentration. These wines are produced to the highest standards in quantities that allow the winemaker to feature only the best results after crush and fermentation. That concentration of great flavor and structure means these wines can develop complexity over time. To make the list of the highest rated wines on wine.com, the skill of the winemaker has to pair perfectly with the quality of the grapes.
These are only a small fraction taken from many quality wines available on wine.com, so feel free to let us know about some of your favorites not mentioned here!
