Looking for Great Wine on a Budget? Try These California Bottles for $20 or Less

Thanks to California’s labor and land costs, it’s become harder and harder to find many amazing wine values there under $15 — emphasis being on the “amazing.” There’s no problem finding less expensive California bottles, of course. The problem is that they tend to be mass-produced and uninteresting. Not necessarily bad, just boring.

But once you’re willing to spend from $15 to $20 or so, the situation changes dramatically, and there are plenty of bottles out there that offer upfront deliciousness as well as actual personality. Here are 15 to count on, year in and year out. 

2021 Bogle Family Vineyards Petite Sirah ($11)

For a go-to, burgers-steaks-sausages wine, Bogle’s rich, juicy Petite Sirah is hard to argue with. It’s been a bargain since Warren Bogle first planted the variety all the way back in 1968.

2022 J. Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($14)

Arroyo Seco, in Monterey County, offers enough warmth and sunlight to give this white lots of generous texture and orchard fruit flavors, but the region’s cool winds also help create just enough acidity to keep it from being heavy. 

2021 Pinot Project California Pinot Noir ($14)

This venture from wine importers Harmon and Michael Skurnik started in 2009 and quickly became a go-to for people looking for Pinot Noir under $20 that actually tastes like Pinot Noir: bright, crisp, full of zippy berry fruit and a light sheen of spice. 

NV The Whole Shebang! 16th Cuvée Red Blend ($15)

Morgan Twain-Peterson is a wizard of old-vine reds, whether at the high end (his Bedrock Wine Co. is a library of California’s great historic vineyards) or with this exceptionally tasty, blue-fruited, Zinfandel-and-everything-else blend. 

2020 Foxglove Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($16)

The Varner brothers made their name with pricey single-vineyard Pinot Noir, but ever since founding their Foxglove brand back in 1991, they’ve also been remarkable purveyors of some of California’s best values — among them this polished, always enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon.

2023 Joel Gott California Sauvignon Blanc ($16)

A reliable value year in and year out, this Sauvignon Blanc captures California’s strengths with this variety: melon and citrus notes, fresh but not aggressive acidity, and only a faint hint of the grassiness that Sauvignon sometimes offers.

2023 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier ($16)

Napa Valley’s Pine Ridge Vineyards has been making this unusual, extremely appealing white blend since 1995. These days, the Chenin Blanc comes from Clarksburg in the Sacramento River delta, while the Viognier (20%) is sourced from Lodi. It’s a juicy, aromatic white that goes well with everything from a roast chicken to a green salad.

2022 Dry Creek Vineyard Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc ($17)

Clarksburg has become a go-to region for Chenin Blanc, which is (finally) seeing a bit of a renaissance in California wine. About time, but Dry Creek knew its value all along–they’ve been making this jasmine-scented, melony, hard-to-put-down dry Chenin since 1972.

2022 Birichino Malvasia Bianca ($18)

The Mediterranean variety Malvasia doesn’t have much of a presence in California–it’s more common to Italy, for instance the Aeolian islands off Sicily’s coast, or to Spain, where it grows in the Canary Islands, among other places. But Central Coast producer Birichino found a source in Monterey County, and from those vines makes this lime-scented, bone-dry, thrillingly refreshing white.

2022 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Blanc ($18)

Bonny Doon’s Le Cigare Blanc, a blend of the southern French varieties Vermentino (Rolle) and Grenache Blanc, walks a perfect line between richness and zip. Its flavors suggest tart quince and ripe pears, and it’s extremely versatile, as good with a salad as it is with a roast chicken.

2023 Grounded Wine Co. Space Age California Rosé ($18)

Face it: a lot of rosé tastes the same. Pale pink, vaguely fruity, sorta crisp; pleasant, but not exactly memorable. This Grenache-based version from California defies the stereotype, because here the strawberry-raspberry fruit is distinctive and refreshing; floral nuances give it complexity; and there’s enough body that the flavor doesn’t vanish when served with food. 

2022 Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

A touch of barrel fermentation (about 15% of the wine) lends this Sonoma County Sauvignon a little more texture and silkiness than is typical of the variety; that hint of richness also adds complexity to the wine’s grapefruit and lemon flavors.

2023 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay ($18)

Wente was one of the first California wineries to plant Chardonnay, back in 1908, and today, the “Wente clone” of Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted in the state. This full-bodied, citrusy white is a great by-the-case purchase for Chard lovers.

Marietta Old Vine Red, Lot No. 74 ($19)

Chris Bilbro, who founded Marietta in 1978, had a brilliant idea for this always-a-steal red (now carried on after his passing in 2019 by his son Scot Bilbro). Combine the bright berry flavors of new-vintage Zinfandel with the intensity of Petite Sirah that had been aged three years or so in barrels, then add a dollop of two-year-old Syrah for spicy intensity (and maybe a few other varieties as needed). There’s no vintage on the wine as a result, but what you get instead is far more complexity and flavor than most wines at this price. 

2022 Olema Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma County ($20)

Olema’s reserve bottling is one of those uncommon Chardonnays that will please both lovers of rich, full-bodied styles and those who wish for something more bright and crisp. Its apple-pear fruit takes on vanilla and toasted bread notes from partial aging in new French oak barrels.