origin: United States

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $29.99

Tasting Notes: Lodi is being discovered for its ability to produce great fruit that is approachable and complex at the same time. Rich and easy drinking. Light touch of spice, with hints of mint, coffee and dark chocolate.

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $16

Tasting Notes: A cabernet with blackberry notes and lengthy tannins with the added benefit of three months of bourbon-barrel aging that deliver the pleasant vanilla and caramel flavors to this wine.

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $17

Tasting Notes: Blackberry and blueberry marry well on the nose and palate along with griping texture to create a balanced powerful cabernet. Not overly oaked, it provides good structure and balance to this fruit-forward Sonoma wine.

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $17

Tasting Notes: A powerhouse cabernet that is savory and fruit-focused. Approachable, youthful, yet integrated flavors of black cherry, plumb and blueberries work very well with this cabernet.

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $19.99

Tasting Notes: A certified organic winery in Mendocino County, Barra makes plenty of wonderful wines and their cabernet is no exception. Dark, chocolate-covered cherries abound as this fruit-forward, crowd-pleasing cabernet leaps from the glass with fruit, fruit and more fruit! This is a cabernet-drinker’s cabernet — for under $20!

Country of Origin: California

Retail Price: $18.99

Tasting Notes: Sourced from mainly organic vineyards in Sonoma County, Camp Cabernet is a hidden gem in the under-$20 California cabernet world. A touch of merlot and malbec round out this fruit-forward-yet-restrained cabernet. The aging in neutral oak lets the fruit sing — and it shows.

Country of Origin: Washington

Retail Price: $44.99

Tasting Notes: Starting from scratch in 2013, this Duckhorn offering from Washington’s famed Red Mt. appellation keeps getting better and better. Mountain fruit from 13 other select parcels adds to the complexity. Classic Bordeaux-style blend is very harmonious and structured. 18 months in oak helps to soften the very concentrated fruit. Wild red and black fruit notes dominate, with a finish like a caramel macchiato.

Country of Origin: California

Appellation: Lake County

Retail Price: $17

Tasting Notes: This Cabernet is full bodied, textured and concentrated, brimming with black cherry, wild berry, black licorice, sage and currant flavors. The finish is supple and smooth, with just enough spice and tannins.

Country of Origin: Washington

Retail Price: $21.99

Tasting Notes: The addition of malbec and merlot to this Red Mountain cabernet adds character, complexity and depth without losing the identity of cabernet sauvignon. Hightower cellars outdid themselves with their Murray label Cabernet. Try this for your next gathering and see peoples faces light up when you tell them this was barely $20!