2021 Joey Tensley, Fundamental Red, Central Coast, California, USA

2021 Joey Tensley, Fundamental Red, Central Coast, California, USA

Product: 20218162832
Prices start from £23.00 per bottle (75cl). Buying options
2021 Joey Tensley, Fundamental Red, Central Coast, California, USA

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Available for delivery or collection. Pricing includes duty and VAT.

Description

Joey Tensley was inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley so it is hardly a surprise that he has made such a lovely red blend based on Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and a little bit of Viognier. Sweet red cherry fruit dominates the nose. Red cherries and strawberries continue on the palate, yet the forward fruit is perfectly offset by a savoury edge, adding interest and complexity. The wine is balanced and fine, and the nuanced flavours linger on the generous, fresh and elegant finish.

Drink 2024 - 2026

Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

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Critics reviews

Jancis Robinson MW16.5/20

Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and a little bit of Viognier. Fundamental is Joey Tensley’s range of quality, value wines, intended to ‘over-deliver at every level’.

Deep crimson. Spicy, satisfying blend with considerable structure and sweetness. It's definitely sweeter than a Rhône wine would be. But there are Rhône characteristics here. And ageing potential. Good value.

Drink 2023 - 2028

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (September 2023)

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Jeb Dunnuck90/100

Last of the 2021s, the 2021 Red Wine is a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, offering plenty of peppery red and black fruits and hints of game, iron, and leafy herbs. It’s nicely textured and balanced on the palate, with a lot of fruit, some background tannins, and a clean finish. Another great value. It will stand beside just about any Côtes du Rhône out there.

These Fundamental Wines are made by Joey Tensley and focus on value. Based on this tasting, I’d say he succeeds admirably.

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (August 2022)

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About this WINE

Tensley Wines

Tensley Wines

Joey Tensley discovered wine at the age of 12 during a soccer trip to Bordeaux. He started making wine in 1993 at 22 and set up his own Tensley brand in 1998, spending the next 20 years finessing his craft with vintages in Chile, Argentina, Spain, and the Rhône Valley. Joey had already discovered a particular passion for Syrah and had started his own production in Santa Barbara with the mindset to create great quality and affordable wines from Rhône varieties.

He has since extended his range, producing exciting top-quality Syrah from single vineyards with excellent cellaring potential under the Tensley label, as well as brilliant and affordable Rhône blends, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon for drinking now under his Fundamental label.

Joey’s approach is simple: he works with great fruit from the best growers in the Central Coast and is as ‘hands-off’ as possible in the winery with minimum use of oak and sulfur. In 2016, he purchased 16 acres of his only estate vineyard, Colson Canyon, which lies above the all-important fog line, from which he had already been buying grapes to make his flagship cuvée since 2000.

Known as the King of Syrah, Joey Tensley has become renowned for his expertise with this variety, gaining a long list of accolades and high scores from critics such as Robert Parker. Today, he is widely recognized as one of the foremost winemakers in California. His wines reflect his thoughtful, laid-back approach and demonstrate a mineral purity that is quite exceptional for this region, especially at these price points.

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Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County

At the foot of the Central Coast, just north of Los Angeles, the Santa Barbara County reverberates with its Missionary past, although viticulture as we know didn't arrive here until the 1970s. Now there are 6,000 ha of world class Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

While fog banks shape the season, together with a notable rainfall deficit between May & November, elevated terraces such as Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley AVA faciliate premium fruit growing. Santa Ynez Valley AVA enjoys similar trait, though cooler still;

Recommended Producers:
Au Bon Climat's Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay from the region's Santa Rita hills is a prime example. Qupe are another excellent source

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Southern Rhône Blend

Southern Rhône Blend

The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.

The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.

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