2009 Tensley Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard

To be honest, I had some reservations about including one of Joey Tensley's wines, as the 2009s were so tannic when I first tasted them. But the wines were fabulous, so I chose the Colson Canyon, from the warmest site Tensley works with, in the hope a few additional months in bottle would help. Thankfully, they did. The 2009 Syrah Colson Canyon was one of the most expressive, beautiful wines of the afternoon. It elicited numerous positive comments. What a great, great showing.

The 2009 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is the freshest and most vibrant of these 2009 Syrahs. It boasts beautifully delineated dark fruit, flowers, a bevy crushed rocks and leather. Colson Canyon is the warmest site Tensley works with, and that is an advantage, as the wine just releases tons of fruit in an intense, powerful style that is impossible to release. The use of 20% new barrels from Seguin Moreau works like a charm here. In 2009, this fruit was brought in three weeks before the rest of the Syrah crop, highlighting just how different Santa Barbara's microclimates can be.

The 2009 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is the freshest and most vibrant of these 2009 Syrahs. It boasts beautifully delineated dark fruit, flowers, and a bevy of crushed rocks and leather. Colson Canyon is the warmest site Tensley works with, and that is an advantage, as the wine just releases tons of fruit in an intense, powerful style that is impossible to restrain. The use of 20% new barrels from Seguin Moreau works like a charm here. In 2009, this fruit was brought in three weeks before the rest of the Syrah crop, highlighting just how different Santa Barbara’s microclimates can be. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. Joey Tensley’s wines represent some of the most intense expressions of Rhone varieties – Syrah in particular – in the Central Coast. The wines are aged for about 11 months on their lees, with an addition of SO2 just prior to bottling. Tensley uses around one-third whole clusters and mostly neutral oak, which allows the unique qualities of these sites to come through. Tensley’s 2009s are big wines. A spring frost lowered yields by about 15%. Temperatures rarely climbed above 90 degrees and the evenings, especially around harvest, saw temperatures dip into the 40s. Rainfall was lower than normal, which contributes to the richness and concentration of the vintage. Today the 2010s are far more approachable than the stacked and packed 2009s. I would prefer to drink the younger vintage first. The 2010s are the product of a cooler year and have 1% lower alcohol across the board. It was not an easy year, as a brutal heat spike arrived three weeks before harvest. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the 2010 OMG and BMT, but I hope to do so next year. Tel. (805) 688-6761; info@tensleywines.com