Top California wines under £20
It's time to try some new ones...
This article first appeared in Decanter magazine’s California supplement 2017. It is currently featured on Decanter.com as part of a sponsored campaign with the California Wine Institute.
California wines under £20
It used to be the case that California wines meant a hefty price tag – but we had our experts hunt down the great value options that can be found in the UK.
‘In the UK, a belief in the quality and affordability of Californian wines is at last taking hold,’ says Oz Clarke, who found discovering these value wines ‘genuinely exciting’.
Oz Clarke and Ronan Sayburn MS pick their top California wines, available in the UK for under £20.
They’ve found the reasonably charged wines ‘that were outclassed by their rivals from Australia, Chile, New Zealand and much of Europe.’
Top California red wines under £40
Top California white wines under £40
Where to buy California wines in the UK
More California articles
Four Vines, Old Vines Zinfandel, Lodi, California, USA, 2014
93
A typical, utterly drinkable Lodi style full of stewed red cherries, brambles and mildly scented cream. It is plummy and ripe with a rich fruitcake character mixed with vanilla spice.
2014
Four VinesLodi
Louis M Martini, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2011
90
A juicy nose with caramel, fudge, toffee and sweet spices. Very well-balanced palate with beautifully defined fruit and texture with ripe and integrated tannins. Quite elegant.
2011
Louis M MartiniNapa Valley
Dark Horse, Sauvignon Blanc, California, USA, 2015
92
A bright lemon blossom nose leads intriguingly to a juicy snap of lemon zest. Melon and ripe tropical fruit spring to mind, with crisp acidity and clean fresh Semillon shining through.
2015
Dark Horse
Folie à Deux, Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast, California, USA, 2014
92
The tight structure stands out here, backed up by ripe cherry and plum fruit with oak toast following through. There is a seductive doughy texture to this wine.
2014
Folie à DeuxSonoma County
Quady, Elysium Black Muscat, California, USA, 2015
92
This is lush and bursting with blackberry and raspberry juice. It is complex with a lifted herbaceous thyme-scented bubble-gum note which flows into violets, hibiscus and sweet peonies. A real potpourri with balancing acidity.
2015
Quady
Hoopla, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Yountville, California, USA, 2014
91
A restrained but appetising style with a dried apple quality livened up with a little blossom and a dab of lemon acid. The finish displays clean white pineapple and smoky saline hints.
2014
HooplaNapa Valley
M2, Emtwopointone Zinfandel, Lodi, California, USA, 2014
91
A clear and uplifting view of Zinfandel and Lodi, this is full of delightfully pure blackberries and Morello cherries keenly supported by mouth watering acidity.
2014
M2Lodi
Quady, Essensia Orange Muscat, California, USA, 2015
91
Sultry and heavy-lidded, this is full to the brim with marmalade and Seville oranges. It is bruised and wild, a succulent peach juice with fresh underlying acidity and a long finish.
2015
Quady
Sebastiani, Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California, USA, 2013
91
Undoubtedly a full, sturdy style that is displaying lots of chewy oak at present. But the fruit is brambly and intense, a wine that is powerful and unafraid.
2013
SebastianiSonoma County
Joel Gott, Chardonnay, California, USA, 2015
90
At first a rather reserved style, this blossoms with some fluffy apple flesh and the slight chew of the apple core. Warm mango and pineapple hint at tropical, mouth-watering flavours.
2015
Joel Gott
Lost Angel, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, USA, 2015
90
Plummy and elegant with tight tannins, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is solid and youthful; an exquisitely easy-going and ripe style that will please the multitudes.
2015
Lost Angel
Ca' Momi, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014
83
2014
Ca' MomiNapa Valley
District 7, Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey County, Monterey, California, USA, 2015
89
It’s an almost endless fruit bowl of aromas; capsicum, lime, gooseberry and dandelion. This is followed by some herbaceous notes that transcend to a mild peachy compote flavour in the mouth. It has excellent acidity, providing a long, cleansing finish.
2015
District 7Monterey County
Edna Valley, Chardonnay, Central Coast, California, USA, 2015
89
Ripe melon and fresh fig nose, pineapple and mango on the palate with a warm rounded finish and medium length.
2015
Edna ValleyCentral Coast
Wente Vineyards, Morning Fog Chardonnay, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley, California, USA, 2016
92
The nose exudes peach skin and musk tones whilst the palate gives fresh melon and fig flavours. There is a distinct minerality here on top of under-ripe pineapple and vanilla cream.
2016
Wente VineyardsSan Francisco Bay
