2009 Tensley Syrah OGT

Joey Tensley’s 2009 OGT Syrah is another beautiful wine. A blend of fruit from Colson Canyon (50%), Turner (25%) and Thompson (25%), it bursts from the glass with dark fruit, leather, smoke, incense and tobacco. The OGT has an inner strength and steeliness that is impossible to miss. 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