Last Friday while enjoying lunch with a few friends they were kind enough to mention that they read this column, but they did wish that I would write about wines that sell for under $20. And so I will.

The Boisset Family Estates in California reflect the historic ties and origin of this family that emigrated from the Burgundy Region of France. During a recent trip I really was impressed by their handling of the Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and a very recent arrival is their Deloach Vineyards California Chardonnay 2012 that sells for $19.80.

In French fashion, oak influence was kept to a minimum; in fact fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks to preserve natural crispness and fresh fruit flavours. The winemakers then blended in a very small amount of richly-textured barrel-fermented Chardonnay to attain a beautiful balance. There are alluring aromas of Bartlett pear and ripe apricots followed by an enticing minerality. This is very much an example of the restraint and elegance that I found prevalent in my travels.

If you are cooking on the grill what better summer quaffer could you get than a bottle from the “Godfather of Zin”, which is the moniker usually attached to Joel Peterson of Ravenswood Winery. Their $15.95 Vintner’s Blend Old Vine Zinfandel is big, bold and unapologetic. You will find tantalising aromas of black cherry, raspberries and blueberries along with hints of oak. This profile is achieved by a blend of 76 percent Zinfandel, 15 percent Petit Sirah, six percent Carignane and three percent Syrah.

Pinot Noir is probably the most temperamental grape to work with as vineyard owners are faced with many hundreds of clones to chose from to best suit their land and this varietal prefers cooler, and therefore more disease prone, climates. I find many very inexpensive ones difficult to indentify as Pinot Noir.

The club that I belong to recently changed their by-the-glass Pinot Noir from one of my favourite Russian River Valley ones, to Undurraga Aliwen Reserva Pinot Noir from the Maipo Valley in Chile. I asked the bartender to pour me a small taste as I was not sure how much enjoyment I might experience from a product of this grape that we sell for a mere $13.40. I was truly very pleasantly surprised by its easily identifiable Pinot Noir characteristics of plum, cherry and pomegranate. It finished with a slightly warm red fruit character and a touch of spice, and in the glass is was bright and translucent. Slightly chilled on a summer day you cannot go wrong with this Pinot Noir that Robert Parker and the International Wine Cellar both gave a most respectable 87/100.

When the Fabre Montmayou family arrived in Argentina from Bordeaux in the late 1980s they took a very different path from many folks with new money that were seeking a fast pay-off. Instead of buying young vineyards with high fruit output, they invested in very old ones with low output and difficult farming conditions. As a result their wines stand out for complexity and concentration and are just loaded with what I call “yummy factor”.

Ancient vines in their Patagonia vineyard give a beautiful, deep ruby purple colour to their Cabernet Sauvignon. If you are careful you will detect aromas of black currant, blackberries, ripe cassis, mint, cocoa, cedar and hints of vanilla. The cost of a bottle of Fabre Montmayou Patagonia Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Select 2010 (maybe 2011 in our stores now) is $14.85.

This column is a paid advertorial for Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or on 295-0176. Burrows, Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.