Great Sonoma County wines for under $20

The everyday wine drinker loves a brand that over-delivers, one that’s surprisingly good for the price - a “find.” It tastes like a Ferrari, but has the price tag of a Hyundai.

The following brands have been “palate tested” in the Press Democrat’s wine-of-the-week tastings, revealing themselves to be standouts with a consistent track record.

The collection of brands, largely $20 and under, includes: Layer Cake, Marietta Cellars, Cameron Hughes, Bogle, Frei Brothers, Graziano, Joel Gott, Trentadue, and Pedroncelli. These brands play to the budget-minded consumer.

The late John Pedroncelli understood the cost-conscious, everyday wine drinker. He relished producing wines priced at $20 and under.

“John liked the simple things in life and always enjoyed wine with his meals,” said niece Julie Pedroncelli St. John, vice president of marketing of the Geyserville winery. “He wanted everyone to be able to enjoy wine with their meals, too. It’s easier to do that at $20 and under, rather than $60 and above.”

In the 1950s, Pedroncelli Winery sold its wine for $1 a bottle. While the price has increased over the years, the family still tries to keep pace with the daily wine drinker. Most of its current bottlings are $20 and under.

“Owning our land and buildings definitely impacts our pricing decisions,” Pedroncelli St. John said. “Careful and conservative investment over the years allow us to maintain our pricing. Bottom line is we’re not an extravagant family. We own 180 acres of land total, with 105 planted to a variety of grapes.”

Pedroncelli, who died in January at age 89, knew the benefit of over-delivering and kept it a family tradition, said St. John.

“My grandfather (Giovanni Pedroncelli) began this business via word of mouth with his social network, so to speak,” she said. “Today is the same. People are excited to find high quality in wines that are so reasonably priced and love to share their ‘find.’”

Here are some great bargain wines.

Layer Cake Wines, St. Helena. Vintner/winemaker Jayson Woodbridge makes frequent fliers look like home-bodies. He traipses through four continents and five countries to handcraft wine around the globe. Most bottles are in the $16 price range, and they’re a steal for the quality. Layer Cake benefits from Woodbridge’s pricey know-how. He also produces the cult brand Hundred Acre and sells it to his wine list for $350 a bottle.

Marietta Cellars, Geyserville. Scot and Jake Bilbro own this brand and they’re turning heads with their latest bottlings. They give their father, Chris Bilbro, full credit for experimenting with blends of varietals as well as vintages, an uncommon practice during his day. Old Vine Red Lot No. 62, a zin-based blend, is a favorite at the remarkable price of $14.

Cameron Hughes, San Francisco. This brand has been a boon to the budget-savvy because Cameron Hughes is a gifted negociant. For the uninitiated, negociants buy wine that’s already made, blend it into their own concoction, then sell it under their label. Hughes can sell a wine that might normally sell for $60 at $20 or less, primarily because he doesn’t have an infrastructure to support. He produces about 30 labels a year, and the wines show consistency because they’re sourced from reputable vineyards and wineries.

Novy Family Wines, Santa Rosa. The second label of Siduri Wines has some impressive bottlings, which benefit from the experience of savvy Siduri winemaker Adam Lee. One of the tastiest is the Novy Four Mile Creek White Wine, a blend of viognier, gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay at $14. Novy was recently purchased by Jackson Family Wines. As part of the Siduri/Novy package, Lee will stay on as winemaker for the next several years.

Frei Brothers, Sonoma County. The original Frei Brothers vineyard is one of the few to survive Prohibition. Brothers Walter and Louis sold their wine for religious or medicinal purposes. Once the brothers retired in the 1970s, they sold their land and brand to the Gallo family. Frei Brothers has become a poster child for Sonoma County, with bottlings produced from fruit grown in the Russian River, Alexander and Dry Creek valleys. The brand touts its sustainability efforts and it pays off in the bottle.

Graziano Family of Wines, Hopland Tasting Room. Vintner and winemaker Greg Graziano’s namesake brand offers a tasty lineup of whites and reds. A standout is the Graziano, 2011 Mendocino County Grenache at $15. Graziano is a tireless winemaker who loves to experiment with old-world varietals planted on California turf. He has multiple brands, and he’s had great success, bottling after bottling.

Joel Gott, St. Helena. Joel Gott of Gott’s Roadside, the chic hamburger joints in St. Helena, Napa and San Francisco, makes great burger wines. As the proprietor and winemaker of Joel Gott Wines, he offers remarkable values because he’s skilled at tapping into tasty, undiscovered fruit sources. The whites and the reds are hot, but a particularly tasty bottling is the Joel Gott, 2012 California Zinfandel at $15. It makes a great impression with its juicy, sun-kissed fruit.

Trentadue Winery, Geyserville. This winery has tended old vines well through the years. It shows up in its bottlings, particularly in its zin-based blends like the 2012 Trentadue Old Patch Red Lot 38 at $15. This bistro-styled blend is bright and jammy, with a nice dose of cracked black pepper. It has proven itself to be a tasty burger match because of its tangy, high-toned fruit.

Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg. The fruit comes from the Sacramento Delta and the people farming the old vines now are the sixth generation of the Bogle clan. Their lineup of value wines runs the gamut from whites to reds and even includes a petite sirah port. While these wines are tasty across the board, a favorite is Bogle’s Essential Red, 2012 California Red Blend at $11. It’s an old-vine-zinfandel-based blend with cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah and syrah in the mix. Essential Red is the consummate everyday wine.

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.