My 20 Favorite Wines of 2018 for Under $20

This was a good year for wines in the under $20 category. Each of these wines retails for $20 and under in my part of Los Angeles, although I didn’t actually pay retail for any of these wines..

I have a definite preference for New World wines, so as always those wines dominate my list.

There are 13 reds on the list, and 7 whites. I'll list and rank them separately, but the quality on this list is high all the way through. In other words, this year there's not much difference between wine #1 and, say, wine #10. However, vintages do matter on the list, so take note of the year before you buy.

Enjoy!

REDS:

1. Charles Smith Washington State Syrah “Boom Boom” 2016 $18
A 90 point Syrah for under $20!

2. D’Arenberg “The Stump Jump” Shiraz 2016 $16
Same as above. A very good Australian red, year in and year out.

3. Substance Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 $16
Hard to find a better cab for $16.

4. Michael David Petite Petit 2016 (85% Petit Sirah; 15% Petit Verdot) $18
Michael-David is on a roll with this wine. This one is even better than the 2015.

5. Odd Lot Monterey County (85% Petite Sirah; 15% Petit Verdot) $15
Essentially the same wine as the Michael David Petite Petit except the grapes are from Monterey Country instead of Lodi.

6. 7 Deadly Zins Lodi Zinfandel 2016 $15
Michael David just sold the 7 Deadly Zins brand so I don’t know what 2017 will hold, but the 2016 7 Deadly Zins is a winner if you like big Zins.

7. Chronic Cellars “Purple Passion” Paso Robles 2016 $14
An easy drinking, very smooth zinfandel blend from Paso Robles.

8. Angeline Reserve Pinot Noir Sonoma County 2016 $15
Excellent buy at Costco for about $13.

9. McManis Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 $13
I love the McManis Family wines. This is their best cab in the last few years IMO.

10. Kirkland Malbec Mendoza Argentina 2017 $9
Unreal bargain. 2017 was a very good year in Argentina for reds from Mendoza. Although very young, this wine is already drinking nicely. Should be killer in a year or two.

11. Castle Rock Pinot Noir Central Coast California 2016 $12
Might be the best quality-to-price pinot on the shelves right now.

12. Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2016 $17
I don’t buy this wine very often, but they did a nice job with their entry level pinot in 2016

13. Cline Estate Grown Syrah (Sonoma Coast) 2016 $13
Cline released some great wines in 2017 and this Syrah is a good example.


WHITES:

1. Textbook Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $20
Loved this sauvignon blanc from Napa Valley. A little pricier than the other whites on the list, but it was my favorite white of 2017.

2. A to Z Oregon Riesling 2017 $15
A close runner up to the Textbook sauv blanc. We drank quite a few bottles of this wine this year. A very food-friendly Riesling.

3. Joel Gott California Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $15
A didn’t care for the 2016 Joel Gott sauv blanc. It tasted like guavas to me. But the 2017 is a return to form for them.

4. Bodega Colome Torrontes Salta Argentina 2018 $15
I love Torrontes from Argentina. I had a number of them this year that I loved, but this one was probably my favorite.

5. Fess Parker Chardonnay 2017 $20
A serious chardonnay at a good price

6. J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2017 $14
Kind of a poor-man’s Rombauer. Lots of oak. This is a consistently good wine, but 2017 is their best chardonnay in years IMO.

7. Matua Sauvignon Blanc Sauv Blanc Marlborough New Zealand 2017 $13
Two other sauv blancs from New Zealand, the 2017 Kim Crawford and the 2017 Vila Maria, could just have easily have made this list. I chose the Matua because it’s just as good as the others and it’s several dollars cheaper.


For lagniappe, here are a dozen more wines that easily could have made the list.

2017 Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc $12
2017 Chateau Souverain California Sauvignon Blanc $13
2017 Leese-Fitch Sauvignon Blanc California $12
2017 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand $18
2017 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand Private Bin $14
2017 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc Sonoma County $18
2016 Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir $10
2016 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $13
2016 Cline Zinfandel Lodi Old Vine $11
2016 Via Wines Chilensis Colchagua Valley Chile Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva $10
2016 Bridlewood Pinot Noir Monterey County $15
2017 Hess Family Latin America Malbec Salta Argentina Amalaya $16