The Gormander: Five Delicious Red Wines Under $20

Red wines can range spectacularly in price, and the dollars paid do not always correlate with the value received. Most casual wine consumers stick to well-known grocery store brands when selecting a bottle in the $13-$20 range. However, there are plenty of excellent, lesser-known red wines at this price point that can be found at small bottle shops or larger wine outlets.

Elouan Pinot Noir
2021
Oregon
$16.99 @ Total Wine & More
13.8% ABV

Oregon has earned a reputation as having the best U.S. environment for this somewhat temperamental grape, and Elouan has managed to capture that magic at an impressive price point for Pinot Noir. This vibrant and jammy Pinot Noir is high in body, with notes of cherry and plum and a hint of tobacco. It is a terrific value at a price lower than well-known but inferior Pinots such as Meiomi or La Crema.

Mina Mesa Zinfandel
2020
Paso Robles, CA
$12.99 @ Total Wine & More
15% ABV

This is a BIG red zin that bursts with enough flavor to overcome its high ABV and deliver a very solid wine at such a modest price point. Plums, raspberries, and red currant with notes of vanilla and oak, it is hard to imagine a better red Zinfandel for the value.

Carmen Gran Reserva Carmenere
2021
Colchagua Valley, Chile
$17.99 @ Total Wine & More
14% ABV

After reading about the mysterious history of the Carmenere grape, which is thought by some to be related to the ancient Roman grape known as Biturica, I knew I had to get my hands on some.  Sometimes thought to be a replica of either cabernet sauvignon or merlot, it once served as the primary grape in Beaurdeax until a fungus wiped it off the map in France.

Trimmings that had been cultivated in Chile, where the weather is conducive to the grape, led to it becoming the country's national varietal. Naturally, I went to Chile's oldest winery, Carmen, trusting that it would deliver an authentic experience.  

The 2020 Carmenere Gran Reserva has spent 14 months in used barrels, and its nose has notes of ripe plum and jalapeño plus ash and a trace of wood. You will taste ripe black fruit with notes of tobacco in a high-body wine that gets much better with 45 minutes to an hour of breathing.

Chateau La Tonnelle Bordeaux
(60% Caberbet/35% Merlot/5% Petit Verdot)
Haut-Medoc, France
$19.99 @ Total Wine & More
13% ABV

This is another instance in which a vinter has distinguished itself in a crowded field of better-known wines at higher price points. I like high-bodied, full-flavored Bordeaux, and this Cab-Merlot-Petit Verdot blend fits the bill. With notes of black cherry, dark chocolate, tobacco, and chili pepper, this is an inspired Bordeaux that edges out another favorite of mine, Rothschild Bordeaux Lafite's Reserve Speciale, which can rarely be found for less than the low twenties per bottle.

Louis Latour Les Bastides Pinot Noir
2020
France
$15.99 @ Sunshine Liquor
13% ABV

I love a good French Pinot and was extremely happy with Louis Latour's family estate from 2020.  Rather than french oak casks, it is aged 10 to 12 months in stainless steel vats. Its nose is intense for a Pinot, with strong notes of Morello cherries. Smooth tannins and subtle dried flower and red fruit notes make this a very good wine to pair with fruit and mild cheeses, and it has become a go-to wine when I am enjoying a fruit and cheese charcuterie plate.