Josh Cellars Merlot 2020
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This Merlot is soft and inviting with balanced flavors of blueberry, raspberry, and milk chocolate and scents of fragrant violets and vanilla.
The Josh Cellars Merlot brings out the best of rich, bold flavors, so we love serving it with soft cheeses or meat-based pasta dishes.
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2019-
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Josh Cellars was created in 2007 by vintner Joseph Carr as a tribute to his dad, Josh. The brand started with one varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, and today features a diverse portfolio of well-balanced and delicious wines made to exacting standards. Sourced from across California’s great winegrowing regions, every vintage represents a labor of love, a commitment to quality, and a very personal promise to make great wine, in honor of Josh.
Joseph discovered a passion for wine at an early age, starting off as a wine steward at a local restaurant in upstate New York, where he was raised. He spent a decade serving as a world-class sommelier followed by another decade as a wine industry executive. After years of hard work, he left it all behind to pursue his dream: starting his own wine company, making wines from California. Today, he lives with his dog Molly and frequently gets visits from his daughter Cailen at their home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
"American Winery of the Year" – Wine Enthusiast, 2021
Today the fourth most widely planted red variety in the state, Merlot has much to offer. While it bears similarities to Cabernet Sauvignon (its half-sibling), it tends to be lower in both acidity and tannins, giving Merlot wines a mouthfeel that is often perceived as soft, round and plush. These qualities make it an ideal blending partner for Cabernet, the two complementing each other throughout.
Merlot arrived relatively late to the California wine scene. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when producers like Louis Martini, Sterling and Matanzas Creek—influenced by European Merlot blends—began crafting single varietal versions. These trend-setting bottles opened the eyes of others in the California wine scene and spurred increased plantings. From there, the variety’s lush drinkability led to a surge in popularity, then overplanting (some of it on unsuitable sites) and finally a backlash that was turbo-charged by the infamous 2004 film, Sideways. What most viewers didn't realize was that, as much as Miles derided the variety, the prized wine of his collection—a 1961 Château Cheval Blanc—is made from a blend of Merlot with Cabernet Franc.
Fine examples of California Merlot—either as a single varietal wine or as part of a blend—can be found from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, the Central Coast and most regions around the state. Merlot wines offer a ripe, sensual mouthful of plummy fruit, suggestions of mint, herbs and vanilla, all carried along by an approachable structure and often, a great potential for improving with age.