An extreme value with wide appeal, we review the Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon again after almost 10 years.
Cabernet Sauvignon from California. The wine is aged in 20% new French oak and has 5 g/L of residual sugar..
Sample submitted for review. The wine has an SRP of $17 and is available for as low as $11.
From the bottle:
I created my wines as a tribute to my dad, Josh. He's always on my mind.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine we made. This is the wine that started it all, setting the exacting standards that we hold ourselves to for all of our varietals. Round and juicy, our Cabernet Sauvignon has flavors of blackberry, toasted hazelnut and cinnamon.
Blended and Bottled by Joseph Carr
13.5% Alcohol
It's not easy (in our opinion) to produce an honestly good, yet widely available Cabernet around the $12 price point. So many of the wines in this category end up tasting manufactured and artificial. Not so with today's wine.
We first reviewed the 2011 vintage of Josh Cellars Cabernet and announced "Say Hello To Your New Value Cab". It's been almost 10 years but not much has changed (except the new part of that headline)! While the sourcing has expanded to include all of California and Josh Cellars has expanded their line to include a number of Reserve wines (see our reviews of the Josh Cellars Paso Robles Reserve Cabernet and the Josh Cellars North Coast Reserve Cabernet), this entry level bottling still overdelivers and offers the best value of them all.
The 2019 Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon begins with pleasant aromas of black cherry, red licorice, a little vanilla, a bit of bramble, a hint of menthol and lots of baking spice.
Tasting the full-bodied wine reveals a smooth, easy to drink wine that is juicy and fruit forward with lots of really well done and well integrated oak influence. That oak is both abundant and still restrained if that's possible - judicious might be the best way to describe it.
Soft tannins lead into the dry, long finish where all the flavors from the palate (black cherry, strawberry, cola, spice, etc.) linger for quite a while. It might even be a bit better on day 2 so don't be afraid to give this one some time to breathe.
This is a solid, tasty Cabernet at a fantastic price that should have wide appeal.
Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.
2019 Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
