2013 Tensley Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Tensley makes some of the best AND best value Syrahs anywhere. This wine is outstanding. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is dusty with spice, black raspberries, slight black pepper and bit of coffee. There is some volatile acidity on this wine. Whether that is an issue depends on your tolerance. On the palate, this is sweet and slightly cloying. Ripe vs. Residual Sugar? I think a bit of RS but not crazy. Lots of black raspberry fruit. Slightly cloying. This is a tough fruit match but a tasty wine that drinks well on its own and will work with spicy foods.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2013

Current Price:

$48.00USD

America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we discussed the white Rhone style wines offered at the 2008 Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco on March 18. This month we turn to the reds, of which we tasted 50. Among those we tasted were some old favorites and some wineries or bottlings with which we were not yet familiar. We don’t pretend that we tasted a representative group of wines, because our sample was skewed to wines we have loved in the past and others about which we have heard positive comments.

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2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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Top 10 California Syrahs - The Wine List - October 2014

Syrah is a grape that most wine merchants will tell you is a difficult sell. It seems it’s always going to be the next big thing, but never is. For consumers, that’s a good thing. A great Syrah usually will cost far less than a comparable quality Cabernet or Pinot Noir. For my money, I tend to buy more Syrah than any other grape. A disclaimer here – I liked it so much, I started to make it. In any event, as the temperatures start to drop, fall is great time for a hearty red with dinner or next to a warming fire. Syrah is a grape that really changes its personality depending on where it is grown. Cooler climate Syrahs can be quite different from warmer climate ones. California has plenty of each. While I love many of the cooler climate Syrahs, most of the ones listed below are warmer climate Syrahs. In my opinion, that is where the very best of Syrahs from California can be found.

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2015 Tensley Syrah BMT, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$110.00USD

Tensley is an excellent source for excellent wines at fair pricing. This one is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache. This was a Magnum only release. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted herbs and a hint of floral notes. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is delicious. Black raspberry fruit with some pepper and underlying char. Nice finish. Drinking well now and should continue for another ten to twelve years. Very nice on its own, this would also be nice with roasted vegetables.

Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016

I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.

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2013 Tensley Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

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America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

Top 10 California Syrahs - The Wine List - October 2014

2015 Tensley Syrah BMT, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016