Musar should definitely be on the list. And one could use the term “cult” for the following, though of course not in the Napa / Screaming Eagle way.
Sandlands is great, highly distinctive wine that could be considered “culty” even though the prices are ridiculously low.
I’ve been staring at this with ideas of what to add but there are already lots of good names here. But one could add more. In each region there are dozens of good options. In some (Oregon, almost everywhere in Italy, Loire Valley, South Africa, and on and on) there are hundreds. While Napa, Piedmont, Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux top names are priced far beyond $75, those regions are the exception. Too bad the wines deserve their fame! But even in these places you can find sub-$50 exemplars.
In terms of whether this is ‘canon’ or ‘cult’ or ‘best’ you are going to run into a lot of subjective opinion on nomenclature. I’d call this “Wine Berserker Favorites” or “Wine Berserker Community Conventional Wisdom.” Plus there are different styles, so one person’s list might be very different from another’s.
To add to your list:
Piedmont/Nebbiolo: Yes, sure PdB Normale, Vietti Perbacco, Vajra Albe. But I’d add Fratelli Alessandria Langhe Nebbiolo, Fratelli Alessandria Barolo, La Ca Nova Barbaresco, Sandrone Langhe Nebbiolo Valmaggiore, Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d’Alba, Fratelli Barale Barolo, Burlotto Langhe Nebbiolo, Vietti Castiglione, A&G Fantino Cascina Dardi Barolo, Azelia Barolo, Roagna Langhe Nebbiolo, Francesco Rinaldi Barolo.
I could add more from this one region. My point is that there might be a single wine (PdB) that everyone talks about and gets board attention, but it doesn’t mean that wine is the best or canon or most representative of the region/grape in that price range. Just popular. Meanwhile almost any from my list above could win a WOTD contest depending on age, preferences, food. I always bridle at ‘best’ conversations because the beauty of wine is the glorious depth of the hobby, and the variety it offers.
Aside from definitional debate about the words cult and canon, the really important question is: what’s the point of this list?
Works for me. And thanks for the ideas.
Harvesting (consolidating?) the vast knowledge of this community for the purpose of a head start on investigating new wines and/or checking for blind spots for a general collection. Basically a place for learning about great wine at/below my preferred price point (where there is a lot of great “value” but also rubbish–so helpful to have a filter). Selfishly motivated (great responses have already made it a success), but hopefully broadly useful.
I had considered adding Charvin and I probably should have. Beaucastel and Vieux Telegraphe I think are generally too modern styled to be appreciated by traditionalists. The only exception may be cooler vintages where ripeness is in check.
Which wineries routinely do great work, producing excellent wines appreciated by the Berserker palate at prices that make exploring their work(and buying it again) financially a normal pursuit, rather than trophy hunting.
I am 100% in agreement with your commentary on “best”.
Surprised nobody mentioned:
Pinot Noir (USA) - Rivers-Marie. They seem to be a darling of wB. I also enjoy Chanin’s PN and will be opening my first Ceritas this weekend.
My pick for
Chardonnay - Ceritas, Chanin & Liquid Farm
You know if you simply perused the vast number of threads already in existence, you could see what the board favorites are, which this is really a type of.
I second the Rivers Marie suggestion for Pinot. I also like the Seavey Chardonnays, which have a bit more minerality to them, more like a Chablis.
Hey, welcome Russell. I hope we see you around here in the future.
Tell me more about Seavey, I haven’t had it before but it sounds up my alley.
Thanks for the welcome. I’m still rather intimidated by so many well-educated people on this site, although I have really enjoyed reading the discussions. It’s great!
A good friend took me to visit Seavey this summer, in June. They have a really good, deep Cabernet, as many people know, but it is clearly not less than $70. Their Chards, however, are $55. They are a little less buttery than a traditional Chardonnay from California. It has a bit more mineral and citrus to it, and with a bit of honey notes, that distinguish it as a Chard. I liked it, and thought it is a nice light Chardonnay as opposed to the many sweet ones that the region often produces. It’s worth trying. I am not sure about “cult” but they are lesser known and not available at just any store.
No Huet love?
Maybe we should go CA and OR for USA.
Chardonnay (OR)-Walter Scott, Cameron, Crowley, Brickhouse, Morgen-Long, Twill, Vincent, Bethel Heights(High Wire is dynamite), and plenty of others.
That may seem like a lot of producers for a “darling” list, but there is a ton of great Oregon Chardonnay being made right now.
I used to love those wines. And still think they are solid, very well made benchmarks, but for the last decade I just haven’t felt that they have the magic (for me) that they used to.
Beyond Bourdignon, I often really like the top bottlings of Chateau Belliviere. But for my palate, right now Bourdignon is in a class by himself. And the Anjou Blanc is his entry level. The Savennieres are stellar.
That said, Huet is still an excellent producer.
I will be the first to admit I’ve had 0 exposure to OR Chardonnay and very limited exposure to OR Pinot (only had EL 7 Springs before) but have heard great things. I aim to remedy that next year.
Thanks for all the feedback 
. What a fun exploration you have ahead of you! And to add a few more:
Sauternes: Chateau Climens (though others could reasonably argue for Rieussec or Suduiraut).
Bordeaux: I would strongly recommend trying a bottle with 20+ years of age. Many regions produce age worthy wines, but Bordeaux remains the most available/cheapest/most likely to be in good shape. Maybe you’ll hate aged wine, but maybe not! A few of us here kinda like the stuff. Right now on Winebid there is 1995 Sociando Mallet, 1995 Clos du Marquis, 1996 Gloria, all in your under $75 range. These are not earth shaking but they will be good examples of nice aged Bordeaux. The cool thing about Winebid is you can buy just one bottle. Just don’t bid on any with seepage, depressed corks, or elevated corks.
You took the words right out of my mouth on Sauternes! Rieussec is more available to me than Climens, but I like and would be happy to drink any of the three depending on availability.
The other favorites on my list have largely been mentioned in other areas (Trimbach, etc.). One thing that I like in the sub-$10 range is Santa Cristina (Antinori). I’ve seen it pop up on a much wider array of restaurant lists than I expected, to the point where if the list is otherwise sub-par I can rely on this wine to be my friend.
I bought a ton of 1990 Santa Cristina back in the day. Great introduction to Tuscany for me.
Sangiovese: Felsina has been suggested, but I’m a naysayer. Well known and not expensive but I never love it. 2015 Lisini Brunello is a steal at $50 and both exemplary and age worthy. At $35 Fuligni Rosso is very reliable. Like many regions in Italy the good choices in the $25-$50 range are numerous. Or for a little more … (insert evil laugh).
One key issue is availability. Most of what people have proposed is very available, but if you share your city folks can recommend good local stores. Online buying/shipping is 100% viable - we all do it! - but it’s not as immediate.