Josh Cellars Bourbon Barrel Aged Reserve Zinfandel California Red Wine

Zinfandel is a red grape that has grown in California for generations, and this is a California bottling of it. Our grape research describes ripe berry and plum fruit with some spice, and a fuller body when the fruit is picked riper, while noting that vine age, when the grapes are harvested, and the alcohol can shift the result quite a bit. Josh Cellars says Joseph Carr started the brand in 2007 and named it for his father, Josh.

We do not have a shopper rating for this wine. The brand goes back to that 2007 start, and its shelf price, in our September 2026 checks, spanned $12.99 to $28.99.

Josh Cellars describes the process directly: this Zinfandel spends two months in charred bourbon barrels, a step the producer says lends a bolder, richer flavor, and it sits in the brand's Reserve line alongside a matching Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon. The producer's own tasting notes name cracked black pepper and licorice against vanilla and blackberry, with a full body and velvety tannins across a long finish. Winemaking for Josh Cellars has been led by Wayne Donaldson since 2009, the producer says; the page does not publish an alcohol level or a sub-California appellation for this bottling.

Our call: this suits a shopper who wants a stated reason for the price beyond the grape name. Josh Cellars is explicit about the two months in charred bourbon barrels behind the pepper, licorice and vanilla profile. Pass if shopper consensus matters to your decision; no rating has reached our record yet, so the producer's account is carrying the whole case.

The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.