Tensley Wines

Getting back to my place and wine theme, I decided that I need to write about Tensley wines.  It’s been a pretty weird path for me in getting to know Tensley wines, and partially because of that, they’re one of my favorite producers.  Here’s how I came to love their Syrah.

Several years ago, I was reading Wine Spectator and got into their featured story for the month, California Syrah.  To this point, I’d had some experience with Syrah, but mostly it was just cheap stuff and wasn’t all that good.  But, I liked the idea of a big hearty wine that could be spicy and rich or that could be smooth and fruity, or all of the above.  So, in reading the article, I noticed that there was a little profile and bio on a Syrah winemaker from Santa Barbara.  So, I got to know a little bit about Joey Tensley from that article, and after looking at his wines and their reviews from the article, I decided that I needed to try a good California Syrah and that this seemed like a good place to start.

Wine Spectator was especially impressed with Tensely’s Colson Canyon Syrah that year, and with a 95 point rating and just a $35 dollar price tag, I set out to find a place where I could pick up a bottle.  That’s when Wade’s Wines came into the picture.  After a quick search around the internet, I learned that a local wine store had exactly what I was looking for.

Wade’s is a funny place.  It’s nestled in the back of a little parking lot and surrounded by small businesses and warehouse space.  Wade’s itself is really just a wine store in a warehouse.  It has a great selection of everything California and it just so happens that it has one of the largest supplies of Tensley wines anywhere.  I later learned that Wade and Joey Tensley are pretty good friends and that Tensley actually produces Wade’s label of wine. 

On my first trip to Wade’s I was a little overwhelmed, but I knew what I wanted, had a look around, picked up 2 bottles of the Colson Canyon Syrah and decided that I needed to start doing more of my wine shopping here.  Since that first trip, I’ve been back many times and Wade’s actually opened up a tasting room that has some great local Southern California wine and some microbrews.  Anyone in the LA area should check it out.

But, back to Tensley.  I had bought 2 bottles of the highly rated wine.  My plan was to have one to drink immediately and one to hold onto for a while (I was hoping it would be named Wine Spectator’s wine of the year, but it lost out to another Syrah from the same area).  My first experience in tasting Tensley wines is what sold me.  That Colson Canyon Syrah was delicious.  It was a big wine but it was complex.  It was peppery, smoky, spicy, fruity, and smooth all at the same time.  It smelled a little like raspberries and vanilla and had one of the longest finishes in a wine that I can remember.  Simply put, it was delicious and I decided that needed to start trying more Syrah.

On my next trip to Wade’s, I picked up some more Tensley wine, this time just their basic Santa Barbara County Syrah (just $22, a little more in my price range), and I decided to try Wade’s label wine, which as I already noted is made by Tensley.  Again, everything was delicious.

Tensley kinda fell off the map for a little bit with me, but when I made a trip with some friends up to Los Olivos to do some wine tasting, it came back into the picture.  In planning this trip, I didn’t realize that Tensley’s tasting room was in Los Olivos, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it and once we did, it became a must go to for the trip.  We went, we tasted, I bought some more of their wine, and they were back on the map again.  After that trip to Los Olivos, I got in the habit of buying a bottle of Tensley every few months and definitely got in the habit of giving Syrah a larger part in my wine drinking experiences. 

After a few months of getting Tensley wines from Wades and consistently loving them, I decided that I needed to join their wine club.  It is surprisingly affordable and I only commit to buy 5 bottles a year so it’s pretty low key as far as wine clubs go.  I went to their website to sign up, only to find out that there were no more spots available for their club but that I could join a waiting list.  I was a little shocked by this, but joined the waiting list and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  I had forgotten about the wine club entirely by the time I got the email saying they finally had an opening for me some ten months later.

It’s a little bit crazy to think that I had to wait ten months just to be in a wine club so that I could buy someone’s wine.  And, what’s even crazier, is that I signed up for a mailing list at the same time with Saxum vineyards (another Syrah producer), just to get their emails and have the option to buy their wine, and still 18 months later they don’t have room for me. 

So, I’ve been a member at Tensley for about 8 months now.  I’ve gotten two shipments, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first and am waiting for an opportunity to open a bottle from the second (they’re magnums).  Everyone ought to try a good Syrah at some point.  It’s become one of my favorite varietals and if you need my recommendation for a good Syrah to try, it’s got to be Tensley.  From reading about them in a magazine to discovering their wine in a local store to their tasting room to their wait list and finally their wine club, it’s been an interesting road that’s introduced me to their wine.