With wine, like everything else in life, there is always cost/value equilibrium.   The only time you actually get a real bargain is when something good is being discontinued and marked way below cost.   Even then; buyer beware!

What I’m dealing with in this piece is wine that can be bought at most stores that carry wine whether it is Meijer, Walmart or a fine wine shop with a broad market selection.   You won’t have any trouble finding these wines that offer a consistently high value / low cost ratio.

Bogle is one of my three top choices for phenomenal value.  This winery is located on what they call, in the delta region east of San Francisco, an “island”.   It is actually a hole in the water, a very large hole!   During the turn of the previous century, abundant low cost Chinese labor was put to good use by building dykes and roads around all of the islands in the Sacramento delta converting them from swamp land to farmland.  As the land dried out, it continued to contract.   Today, the Bogle winery is 16 feet below sea level.   Needless to say, there is fabulous protection from temperature spikes being surrounded by water and the dykes insure that the vineyard is bone dry as needed and gets a drink whenever needed.   Though these wines may not have the finesse of a Pritchard Hill Cab or an Howell Mountain Merlot (which will cost you $70-$80 ) these wines are as true to their varietal as any in California.   Just delicious wines for $9-$11 a bottle.  My favorites are the Essential Red and Old Vine Zinfandel, but all of the wines really over deliver.   The Chardonnay is a classic and the Sauvignon Blanc is flat out delicious. If you visit the winery, buy a bottle of the Reserve Zinfandel (for sale only at the winery).  It will set you back $30 but, it is the finest red wine I tasted in a week in the wine country on my last West Coast trip.

Cline, like Bogle, goes back to when vineyard property was cheaper than cheap and no one thought you could grow grapes in what are now the prime cool climate regions of Sonoma County.     Fred Cline purchased land in the Sonoma Coast when it was considered useful only for grazing cattle.   Fred’s grandfather bought vineyards in Contra Costa County during prohibition that was planted in the 1800’s and those vineyards still constitute the base for the Cline Ancient Vine wines.   Everything this winery makes is legit! This is the first winery you need to visit when you are in the wine country.   It is one of the first you’ll see after crossing the Golden Gate and heading into Sonoma.  The Lodi Zin is well under $10 and displays this varietal in classic proportion.  Ancient Vines Zin is elegant fine and just seems to disappear when you are enjoying a good meal.   The Cool Climate Syrah is a dead ringer for a $50 northern Rhone, at about $15.   The Pinot Noir?  Keep your Jacksons in your wallet.   This is what Pinot aficionados open their wallet and pull out Franklins.  Cline Pinot Noir is under $15.

Columbia Crest / Chateau Ste. Michelle / 14 Hands all hail from the behemoth of the Pacific Northwest.  Though their land wasn’t purchased as long ago as Cline or Bogle, this winery was still about 50 years ahead of everyone else in the Pacific NW snapping up the best vineyard property at grazing land prices.  Common sense winemaking and very very close attention to terroir makes it possible to produce extraordinarily great wines on a mass scale.  All of these are made at the same winery in Washington State.  Columbia Crest wines tend to be a tad lower in cost and more of a California style while the Chateau Ste. Michelle wines are a tad more expensive and exhibit a bit more class and cool climate breed.   14 Hands wines are somewhere in between with chunky ripe fruit along with a real sense of the terroir.  All are a steal for the quality.  Another wine from CC/CSM/14H is a wine from the Horse Heaven Hills region dubbed H3 Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.  You might not find it at the big box stores, but, it is not hard to find for about $14 and worth every penny.

J Lohr is another winery worth special mention.   It seems every chain restaurant carries these wines and whenever I find myself in a chain restaurant, I gladly order a glass.   Back in 1971 when property in this God forsaken part of California was cheap and no one in their right mind thought it was possible to ripen grapes in Monterey County, Jerry Lohr took a chance and purchased what today has proven to be the best vineyard property in the county.  Additionally, they now farm prime vineyards in Paso Robles, again, purchased long before it was fashionable. This is a winery that not only takes Cab and Chard very seriously, they also bestow nobility onto the Merlot grape and even, if you can find it, a Gamay clone called Valdiguie.  Most of the wines push a tad over $10, but, you will not regret taking the plunge.

Ravenswood has proven that a fine reputation for single vineyard and specific appellation wines can be translated into low cost generic offerings.  The Ravenswood Vintners Blend wines (well under $10) are every bit as good though slightly less intense than their higher priced siblings.

Joel Gott wines may be priced on the top edge of what I would call a bargain, but, they are great wines to thoroughly enjoy.  At a recent tasting of about 50 wines in the $12-$20 range, the Joel Gott Washington Red was a distant first place.  It really didn’t belong in that tasting it was so much better than everything else.

Hahn winery is located up on a high alluvial fan that flowed out of the Santa Lucia Mountains right above their famous Smith & Hook vineyard.  Nicky Hahn, now deceased, and his team specialize in this part of Monterey County (again, grazing land when he bought it).  The wines under the Hahn Label (about $15) offer the essence of Monterey while the Smith & Hook wines (for about $10 more) show the power and depth of flavor possible in their highland vineyards.

Kenwood is another wine you’ll encounter in restaurants at pretty reasonable prices and at retail as a Sonoma County offering priced well below most of its competitors.  The restaurant version is not identical, but, always a great pour for the money.   That version is as good as the slightly higher priced Sonoma wines.

Hess winery was just a dream when Donald Hess and I were in Burgundy school together in 1982.  He had just purchased property on Mount Veeder and was still figuring out what to do with it.   He eventually purchased the Christian Brothers Mount LaSalle property and modernized it into an art gallery and aging cellar for his Hess wine brand.  In this discussion consider the Hess Select brand for their great finesse and substance for the money.   Don also produces a line of higher end wines costing whatever you are willing to pay.

Cupcake New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the best bang for the buck in the category.  All of the Cupcake wines offer exceptional value for the $10 price tag.

Simi / Franciscan / Estancia wines are located in different counties even though the brands represent parts of the same company.  Simi is Sonoma and the Simi Chardonnay is my favorite Chardonnay on the shelf under $15.  The Sauvignon Blanc, frequently found under $10, is stellar too.  I love the Cab too, but not a bargain.  Franciscan was Napa, now Monterey and tends to offer fatter more oak and ripe fruit driven wines than most wines in its price range.  Again, the Chard and Sauv Blanc are real values.  Among the reds, the Merlot is a knockout value costing LESS than the Cabernet which is also a fine wine, but, not a bargain.  Estancia used to be overstock from Simi and Franciscan but its popularity necessitated a winery and vineyards of its own.   Today the winery and its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards are in Soledad at the base of the Pinnacles National Monument directly across the Salinas valley from Hahn in Monterey County with vineyards as far south as Paso Robles.  It is truly an inspirational sight to view Estancia from the Hahn Vineyard and vice versa.  Estancia Chardonnay is the bargain of the brand, but, all of the wines are excellent.

Menage a Trois is ideal if you prefer a wine that feels a bit softer on the palate.  White and Red, they are winners.   Here is a rundown of what to expect from the wines without a grape variety on the label.  RED = Mostly Zinfandel with Cab and Merlot and very soft.  MIDNIGHT RED = Mostly Petite Sirah plus Zin, Cab and Merlot and sturdier.  SILK = Mostly Pinot Noir plus other varietals and lives up to its name.  WHITE = Chard, Chenin and Moscato is just off dry and fruity.  ROSE = Riesling, Gewurz and Zin is a great summer wine with red meat.  All offer a value at $9-$11.

Louis Martini is one of many brands produced by Gallo.  I didn’t mention any other Gallo wines here for a reason even though the winemaking at Gallo is second to none, they own the best vineyards in every corner of California and for the most part, their wines are pretty reasonably priced.  Because they own so many brands which seem famously associated with great vineyards but no longer have any association with those vineyards it is really hard to evaluate the wines over a time long enough to make a recommendation.   What had been a stupendously great Mirassou Cabernet from Monterey, Santa Clara or Livermore on one day could be a generic bland passive red the next.  Today their brands are just brands.   One exception, at least for now, is Louis Martini.   This brand seems to be tied to vineyards.   As such, the Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon will not disappoint.  If you see it by the glass in a restaurant, it will be the best wine money can buy in that establishment.

Enjoy in Good Health,
Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner