7 American Pinot Noir Wines Under $20, Ranked

Out of all of the different types of red wine out there, few are as beloved as pinot noir. This is a grape that can be wildly expressive, delivering striking complexity and subtlety simultaneously. But if you know anything about pinot noir, then you know that this wine can be quite expensive. In fact, many of the most expensive bottles in the world are pinot noir. In my opinion, it can sometimes be worth it to spend a few extra bucks on a good bottle — I'm talking in the $30 to $50 range. However, there may be times when you crave pinot noir but don't want to pay those types of prices. That's when a bottle under $20 comes in clutch.

That's why I decided to select several different American pinot noir wines in the sub-$20 range — bottles that I often see at various retailers — and compare them to one another. I'm ranking these wines according to my specific taste, which skews lighter and more vegetal when it comes to pinot instead of embracing heavier and oakier flavor profiles. That being said, I'm not saying that any of these wines are definitely better than any other, since what tastes good to you ultimately comes down to your own palate and pairing preferences. However, by learning more about each of these wines, you may be better able to select a suitable bottle for your next dinner party.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

Apothic is a wine brand you'll find at many grocery stores and other chain retailers across the country. This accessibility is certainly a selling point for many wine shoppers out there, who may like to stick to a few bottles they know they like instead of always trying something new. I found Apothic pinot noir at a local liquor store for $14.99, which is an approachable price point, even if it's not the cheapest. However, this isn't exactly my ideal style of pinot noir. As noted, I love a pinot that's light and elegant, with subtle oaky notes that don't overwhelm my palate. Unfortunately, that's not what this bottle delivers.

Instead, I found Apothic's pinot noir to be rather bold, with a vanilla-like oakiness that I think is slightly too intense. And while I love it when I detect complex, earthy flavors like mushroom, forest floor, and leather in my pinots, this wine is on the more fruit-forward end of the spectrum, displaying notes of dark cherries. I'm not saying that this is a bad wine — it'll probably appeal to those who like more fruit and a heavier palate. But if you're looking for a light, refreshing, and elegant pinot noir, I think there are better options, even in the sub-$20 range, out there for you to try.

Bread and Butter's pinot noir, which I picked up at my nearest Trader Joe's for $15.99, is far from my favorite in the lineup, but I do think that it's a step up from Apothic's offering. This wine just looks like it's more refreshing, with a lighter, more transparent hue. This California pinot isn't super pronounced on the nose, but I can taste some fresh raspberries and red cherries that offer an appealing, fruity base. After taking a sip of this wine, though, I get more complexity, with strong notes of vanilla and baking spice. The texture is pleasant and plush, with a richness that you don't always find in lighter pinots.

While those baking spice and vanilla notes certainly give this wine more complexity, I think they also blunt the wine's refreshing acidity, which is a beloved feature of pinot noir specifically. The result is a wine that's rounder and heftier than I'd want it to be, without the lean elegance that some pinots manage to embody. That being said, for a wine at this price point, it's not a bad bottle, and if you like a bit more richness in your glass, then this bottle might be worth checking out.

Barefoot is one of the least expensive, most ubiquitous wine brands out there, so it only makes sense that I would try its pinot noir as a part of this lineup. I purchased this bottle at a local wine shop for just $9.99. Honestly, if I were blind tasting this wine, I'm not totally sure I'd be able to tell it was pinot noir, since it doesn't have many of the distinctive features I look for in this type of wine. The tannins aren't very pronounced, but they're bolder than I would expect from a pinot. And although pinot noir tends to be pretty high in acid, there's so much acidity here that it overwhelms the palate and seems sort of out of place. Additionally, I noticed an unbalanced oakiness here that makes for a less-than-refreshing sip.

That being said, it offers a soft, velvety quality that's pleasant overall, and I don't find it to be as aggressively oaky as some of the others on this list. If I'm paying attention to my glass, I don't find it to be a super appetizing option, but if I'm drinking without that much focus on the wine, it's passable.

Josh is another recognizable brand name in the grocery store wine world, and chances are, you've seen this bottle around, whether you've decided to purchase it or not. I found this bottle at my local Trader Joe's, where it was priced at $14.99 at the time of writing. This Central Coast California wine has some nice, bright red fruit flavors to it. Cherry, raspberry, and maybe even some strawberry come to the fore, with oakier flavors showing up on the palate. Vanilla, nutmeg, and cedar give the wine some nice complexity.

The wine has a tasty, mouth-filling plushness to it, with enough acidity and tannins to provide a bit more structure than I found in some of these bottles. However, this is another wine where the beautiful subtleties of pinot noir aren't really showing through as much as I'd like them to. This definitely is not the lighter, leaner pinot I prefer. That being said, I think it's a decent pick for a bottle at this price point, and for those who are looking for more weight to their wine, I'm sure this wine is quite delicious.

Now, if you're looking for an especially cheap bottle of pinot, you should be on the lookout for Motif Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's, which appeared on our list of $5-or-less Trader Joe's wines you should try. I purchased the bottle for $4.99, making it the cheapest bottle of wine on this entire list. Considering it's in the top half of the ranking, I think it performed pretty well against its competitors. There's a light, refreshing quality here that makes this wine quite drinkable, even if you're not usually much of a red wine person. Admittedly, though, the flavors are kind of thin on the palate. I picked up some cherry as well as a subtle black pepper note, but it's definitely not the boldest, most pronounced wine I've ever tasted.

What I particularly like about this wine, though, is the fact that it doesn't feature too much of that vanilla-y oakiness. While I'm not a fan of too much of that flavor in wine generally, I think it can be especially harsh in an unbalanced pinot. Although this may not be the most exciting bottle you've ever tried, I think it's an excellent budget option for those who are really watching their wallets and, like me, love a lighter red with pronounced acidity.

Another budget-friendly pinot noir available at Trader Joe's is Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir, which I purchased for $6.99. Because of its low price point, I was surprised to discover that this was one of my favorite wines of the entire lineup. Admittedly, it doesn't have the delicious complexity and subtlety you'd find in a more expensive pinot, but it still delivers a lovely smoothness that makes it quite easy to drink. Pair that with its notes of fresh cherry, cranberry, and just a hint of toastiness, and you get a very approachable red for an excellent price point.

I like that this wine has restrained tannins and a more pronounced acidity than many of the other bottles on this list, even if it may not be the most interesting bottle of pinot I've ever opened. If you're looking for an accessible, affordable entry point into the grape, I think Pepperwood Grove can be a great place to start for pinot noir newbies.

We've finally reached my favorite American pinot noir in this lineup: Primarius Pinot Noir. This wine hails from Oregon, which is known for producing pinots with less intensely fruity flavors and more nuance in the glass. This style is right up my alley, which is probably why I enjoyed this bottle so much. At $17.99 from a local wine shop in my area, this is the priciest pinot noir I tried for this ranking, and it absolutely tastes like it.

The oaky flavors seem to be nicely well-integrated, with a subtle smokiness that adds a lovely note of complexity to the wine. The fruit I do pick up on is quite light and pretty, with cranberry and just-picked raspberry shining through. I also discovered some notes of mushroom and forest floor, which are tasting notes that I absolutely love in red wine generally (but especially in pinot noir). These are examples of tertiary aromas, and they usually show up in older wines that have been in the bottle for a while. The wine also boasts an incredibly velvety texture that really takes things to the next level.

Honestly, I'm surprised this bottle doesn't cost more, but it's one that I definitely plan on buying again, largely because of its relative affordability. (With that in mind, here's how much you should be paying for pinot noir.)

For this ranking, I selected American pinot noirs under $20 that I've seen either at Trader Joe's or at multiple other wine shops and retailers, since I wanted to focus on bottles that would hopefully be available to a relatively large swath of customers. I also attempted to find pinots at a variety of different price points to appeal to wine drinkers with different budgets, even within a budget category.

I ranked these wines according to my own personal wine preferences. When it comes to pinot noirs, I prefer lighter, leaner, and more refreshing flavors with pronounced acidity along with complexity and savoriness. Pinot noirs that fell on the fruitier or more oaky end of the spectrum were generally ranked lower on this list. I tried all of the wines on this list multiple times over a couple of days to get a sense of how they changed after opening up a bit.