Tasting: Josh Merlot

Name: Josh Cellar Merlot

Variety: 100% Merlot

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $18 

Winery Review: Tasty, toasted oak flavors intertwine with plenty of ripe red cherry and blackberry notes in this bold, flavorful and well-balanced wine. One of the best bottles in the Josh lineup. JIM GORDON

Personal Thoughts: As I am developing my taste in reds more, I feel this is a great wine to serve as a barometer against other reds. While definitely on the drier/tannic side, there is a soft, light sweetness over-top of the very boisterous (yet not overpowering) darker, tannic flavor that resembles black cherry (as is the predominant note per Wine Folley, page 131). Wine Folley p132 states that sweet cherry is the predominant flavor for a California merlot, so perhaps that is the slight sweetness that I register. I caught aromas predominantly of raspberry and, unconventionally, buttered popcorn. I feel like there was a slight buttery undertone to the wine, but to me this wine is very predominantly black cherry, and as I hold it on my tongue, it almost gets more tannic and more dramatically black cherry. Overall, this is a wine I can absolutely enjoy and while it may not be a conventional pairing, I found it pleasant to eat with some homemade carbonara. Perhaps next time I would have a sweeter wine to balance the saltiness, but this wine served as a strong palate cleanser with its bolder tannic flavors.