Good Value Wines From Sonoma County

These are a few picks of quality wines from Sonoma County that aren't too expensive and should be relatively easy to find in wine shops and big box retailers. There are more, these are a few I know about. 

Prices listed are a guess at what you might find in a retail store based on what Internet searches show. Availability and retail prices vary by state. 

Alexander Valley Vineyards, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $22.
The best bang for the buck Cab in Sonoma County I've found. It's their top-selling wine by far, for a good reason, though all of their wines are very fairly priced.

Balletto Vineyards, Russian River Valley Teresa's Chardonnay, $22.
A crisp, clean, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay. Many unoaked Chards seem bland, this one isn't plus it's cheaper than most. It's a win-win, or maybe a wine-win.

Balletto Vineyards, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, $26.
A blend of Pinots from their several estate vineyards. This wine punches well above its price.

Bedrock Wine Co., California Old Vine Zinfandel,  $27. 
Current vintage is a blend of several highly regarded Sonoma County vineyards plus a vineyard in nearby Contra Costa County. Bedrock make a lot of great Zins. 

Beringer Vineyards, Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $32. 
The winery is in Napa Valley, but the grapes are from just over the county line in a magnificent, but largely unknown, area for growing Cab. This one is usually made to drink right away, without aging. Beringer also has a Knights Valley reserve Cab priced about $55.

Chalk Hill, Sonoma Coast, Rodney Strong Chalk Hill, and St. Francis, Sonoma County Chardonnays, all around $15. If you like the popular style with fruit, butter, and oak, these are all much better than the $10 California appellation ones or those celebrity Chards.

Chalk Hill, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, $24
Like their Chardonnay, listed just above, this Pinot is also a bargain.

Hanna Winery, Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, $18. 
A standout Sauv Blanc for this price. Too many have risen in the $30s and aren't always as good as Hanna's. 

Ridge Vineyards, Sonoma County Three Valleys Zinfandel, $30. 
Ridge/Lytton Springs is a highly-regarded Zin producer. They make plenty of this Sonoma County vineyard blend, so it should be easy to find. If you should run across any of their other Zinfandels, consider paying the slightly higher prices and pick one up. 

Seghesio Vineyards, Sonoma County Zinfandel, $22.
This one has been listed on many best buy lists because it might be the best Zinfandel for the price. Seghesio makes several other top-notch Zins. As with Ridge, if you see a different Zin of theirs, you might want to splurge.

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, $20s
Their wines seem to be in the bargain bin right now as the company is going through some serious business issues. They were bought by Duckhorn last year, a few months later Duckhorn sold to a private equity firm. It looks like Sonoma Cutrer might be dumping their wines. 

 
If you want a special bottle without needing a bank loan:

Flowers Vineyards, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, $45. 
Fresh, citrusy, and balanced. It has been called the best deal in premium Sonoma Chardonnay. Their Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir can also be found for about $45.

Iron Horse Vineyards, Wedding Cuvee sparkling wine, $45.
They make several excellent sparklers, but this is my favorite for the price. A Blanc de Noirs that easy to sip. This is the sparkling wine they make the most of, but it's only about 2,500 cases annually, so I don't know how far the distribution goes.