99pt E.Guigal Côte-Rôtie

The wine in this picture got 99 points out of 100. It's a near perfect Syrah, and I paid $99 for it. Sounds too expensive? Consider this: the winemaker, Maison Guigal, makes some of the best wines in the world and is arguably the biggest name in the Rhône Valley of France. Guigal's 2018 La Landonne and La Turque Côte-Rôtie are currently selling for $499 on wine.com. Their La Mouline is $489. All three of those Syrah got 100 points (a perfect score) from wine critic Jeb Dunnuk, who knows Rhône wines better than anyone. That's about $400 more than my wine that scored only one point less! I'm willing to save $400 and take the near perfect wine. It was absolutely flipping delicious.

Dunnuck gave Guigal's 2018 Côtes de Rhône Rouge (a Syrah dominant red blend) 91 points out of 100. The wine costs $15.99. That's pretty great quality for the price.

Don't be intimidated and avoid a big name because you think they only sell expensive wine or that their cheaper stuff isn't good. There are steals and deals and great values all over the wine world, whatever your budget. You just need to know where to find them.