2013 Josh Cellars Legacy, Joseph Carr ($10.59)
There’s lot of confusing info on the internet about this particular bottling. Is the winery called Joseph Carr, or Josh Cellars? Is it in Napa Valley, as some sources say…or Hopland, CA, as the label says, which is in Mendocino? Where do the grapes come from? What ARE the grapes? The PR’s person’s on vacation, and I want to write about this wine NOW!!! Why? Because I liiike it. A lot. And I want it as a Seder wine! So please excuse me if the following burst of enthusiasm ain’t 100% correct! But what we have here…is a fairly rich, quite sweet northern California red…that, unexpectedly, really appeals to me! It seems as if Josh Cellars is a “second label” of the Joseph Carr winery, the latter of which which I assume makes bigger, more expensive wines under the Joseph Carr label. I have not tasted their Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. But…I’m not sure I need to, given my antipathy to many Cal Cabs. And given my feeling for THIS well-priced little gem. As far as I can tell, it is a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah…as unpromising a line-up (for me) as you can call to muster. Well live and learn. I still don’t know the sourcing, though it seems the winery mostly buys grapes from a wide variety of vineyard sources in Napa, Sonoma, Lodi and the Central Coast. But kudos to all the decisions they made, whatever they were! The Josh Legacy (“Josh” is a tribute to the winemaker’s father) is a surprisingly medium-hued red in the glass. The nose is like a compendium of classic California aromas (before “classic” in California came to mean ultra-ripe and alcohol-engorged): a little brambly, a little cassis-like, a little like wild berries (which is probably something that exists only in my imagination). Generous sweetness and fruit in the opening gulp; the sweet’s fine with me, as long as I’m prepared for it (meaning I’ll drop some dried fruit in the sauce of the pot roast that’s destined to have dinner with Josh). But it’s the stuff that happens next that really interests me: a broad, graceful palate opens up, California “classic” once again, with a surprising suaveness and polish. The barest lick of tannin in the finish (don’t even think about it), and a tour jeté of refreshing acidity that’s so delicious I don’t care if it was added or if it’s natural. Pot roast…and eventual clarification…here I come! And Dad, though you didn’t dig either seders or red wine…I toast you, even as Joseph toasts Josh!
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