A wine that just scored 96/100 costs $9

A CLEANSKIN wine has just scored 96/100 in a blind tasting by a panel of judges, and here’s the best bit ... it retails for less than $10 a bottle.

A CLEANSKIN wine has just scored 96/100 in a blind taste test by a panel of judges … and it is currently retailing for $9.

The wine — a sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region in New Zealand — was tested against other premium wines from the region by a panel that included sommeliers and international wine show judges. And it came out on top.

The GR9 cleanskin just scored 96/100 in a blind taste test.

But before we get too excited and run down to the shops to buy 40 dozen and invite all our friends around, let’s just consider that this score came from the Dan Murphy’s wine panel (and the wine we’re talking about is part of its cleanskin range). So one has to acknowledge that it isn’t exactly an independent set of judges.

But hey, a sub-$10 wine that doesn’t make you retch is something to get excited about, regardless. We certainly went into a bit of a frenzy late last year when we discovered that the $5 bottles you get from Aldi actually come from some great Australian wine producers.

When quizzed about the validity of the rating, the head of the Dan Murphy’s wine panel, Peter Nixon said that while the actual identity of the wine couldn’t be revealed, it had won gold medals in independent New Zealand wine shows under its official label.

So do with that information what you will. If you want a taste it’s being sold as the ‘GR9’ (it’s the 9th cleanskin from the Dan Murphy’s line).

And while we’re tempting our palettes — and in case sauv blancs aren’t your thing — here are five wines that came in the top 100 from the James Halliday 2015 list … all under $17.

1. Deakin Estate Viognier 2014, $11, 90 points

2. Mike Press Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc 2015, $12.99, 94 points

3. Jacob’s Creek Classic riesling 2014, $11.99, 90 points

4. Chateau Tanunda 125th Anniversary Limited Eden Valley riesling 2014, $16.99, 94 points

5. Castelli Estate The Sum riesling 2015, $16, 94 points

Do you know which winery is behind this cleanskin?

Originally published as A wine that just scored 96/100 costs $9