Top 10 Best Wines in the World

Pétrus is the jewel of Pomerol, Bordeaux — a right-bank estate of just 28.35 acres producing approximately 30,000 bottles of almost pure Merlot annually. Robert Parker awarded perfect 100-point scores to the 1989, 1990, and 1998 vintages, and current release prices of $5,000-$10,000 per bottle make it the ultimate expression of Merlot.

Classified as a First Growth in Napoleon III's 1855 classification of Bordeaux, Château Margaux produces one of the world's most perfumed and complex red wines from its 262-acre estate in the Médoc. Robert Parker awarded 100 points to the 2009 and 2015 vintages, and its second wine, Pavillon Rouge, regularly outscores many estate wines.

Screaming Eagle is the undisputed cult wine of Napa Valley, producing just 500-700 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon per year from a 57-acre estate in Oakville. A single case of the 1992 debut vintage sold for $500,000 at a charity auction in 2000, and current release bottles ($3,500+) are allocated only to a 5,000-name waiting list.

Created in 1968 by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta to replicate Bordeaux-style wine in Tuscany, Sassicaia became the prototype for the Super Tuscan movement and Italy's most internationally celebrated wine. Wine Spectator awarded it a perfect 100 points for the 1985 vintage — the first Italian wine to receive that score — and the 2016 was named Wine of the Year in 2018.

Australia's most celebrated wine, Penfolds Grange was created in 1951 by Max Schubert against company wishes. A Shiraz-dominant blend from Barossa Valley, it was listed as a South Australian Heritage Icon in 2001 and is the only New World wine included in Christie's 'Liquid Assets' fine wine investment portfolios. Recent vintages retail for $800-$1,500 per bottle.

The only Sauternes château classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in 1855, Château d'Yquem produces the world's greatest sweet wine by painstakingly harvesting individual noble rot-affected grapes over 6-8 weeks. In some years the yield drops to just one glass per vine. An 1811 vintage bottle sold for $117,000 in 2011, and even modern releases fetch $300-$500 per bottle.

Opus One was born from a handshake deal between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi in 1979 — the first major France-California collaboration. Produced from a 170-acre estate in Oakville, Napa Valley, it has sold for $350-$500 per bottle since its 1979 debut and helped legitimize California as a world-class wine region on the global stage.

Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck arrived in Ribera del Duero in 1995 and created Pingus from leased old-vine Tempranillo plots. Robert Parker awarded it 100 points for the 1996 and 2004 vintages, and production has never exceeded 300 cases per year. At €500-€1,000 per bottle, it ranks as Spain's most sought-after cult wine.

Founded in 1864, Vega Sicilia is Spain's oldest fine wine estate and still considered its greatest. The Unico, a Tempranillo-Cabernet blend, is aged for a minimum of 10 years before release (often 20+), making it Spain's most cellar-worthy wine. Priced at $300-$500 per bottle, it is the only Spanish wine with a waiting list rivaling Bordeaux First Growths.

Pétrus is the jewel of Pomerol, Bordeaux — a right-bank estate of just 28.35 acres producing approximately 30,000 bottles of almost pure Merlot annually. Robert Parker awarded perfect 100-point scores to the 1989, 1990, and 1998 vintages, and current release prices of $5,000-$10,000 per bottle make it the ultimate expression of Merlot.

Classified as a First Growth in Napoleon III's 1855 classification of Bordeaux, Château Margaux produces one of the world's most perfumed and complex red wines from its 262-acre estate in the Médoc. Robert Parker awarded 100 points to the 2009 and 2015 vintages, and its second wine, Pavillon Rouge, regularly outscores many estate wines.

Screaming Eagle is the undisputed cult wine of Napa Valley, producing just 500-700 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon per year from a 57-acre estate in Oakville. A single case of the 1992 debut vintage sold for $500,000 at a charity auction in 2000, and current release bottles ($3,500+) are allocated only to a 5,000-name waiting list.

Created in 1968 by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta to replicate Bordeaux-style wine in Tuscany, Sassicaia became the prototype for the Super Tuscan movement and Italy's most internationally celebrated wine. Wine Spectator awarded it a perfect 100 points for the 1985 vintage — the first Italian wine to receive that score — and the 2016 was named Wine of the Year in 2018.

Australia's most celebrated wine, Penfolds Grange was created in 1951 by Max Schubert against company wishes. A Shiraz-dominant blend from Barossa Valley, it was listed as a South Australian Heritage Icon in 2001 and is the only New World wine included in Christie's 'Liquid Assets' fine wine investment portfolios. Recent vintages retail for $800-$1,500 per bottle.

The only Sauternes château classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in 1855, Château d'Yquem produces the world's greatest sweet wine by painstakingly harvesting individual noble rot-affected grapes over 6-8 weeks. In some years the yield drops to just one glass per vine. An 1811 vintage bottle sold for $117,000 in 2011, and even modern releases fetch $300-$500 per bottle.

Opus One was born from a handshake deal between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi in 1979 — the first major France-California collaboration. Produced from a 170-acre estate in Oakville, Napa Valley, it has sold for $350-$500 per bottle since its 1979 debut and helped legitimize California as a world-class wine region on the global stage.

Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck arrived in Ribera del Duero in 1995 and created Pingus from leased old-vine Tempranillo plots. Robert Parker awarded it 100 points for the 1996 and 2004 vintages, and production has never exceeded 300 cases per year. At €500-€1,000 per bottle, it ranks as Spain's most sought-after cult wine.

Founded in 1864, Vega Sicilia is Spain's oldest fine wine estate and still considered its greatest. The Unico, a Tempranillo-Cabernet blend, is aged for a minimum of 10 years before release (often 20+), making it Spain's most cellar-worthy wine. Priced at $300-$500 per bottle, it is the only Spanish wine with a waiting list rivaling Bordeaux First Growths.