2010 Syrah Noir

This is a very impressive set of new releases from Joey Tensley, made even more so by his generous pricing policy.Tensley is one of those rare winemakers whose physical presence (large) belies the style of wines that he makes (emphasis on balance and clarity).He likes the aromatic qualities and spiciness that whole clusters bring and tends to stay in the 25% range for new oak, although he will go higher "if the wine has the material."He told me that he really likes the freshness and expression of the 2010s, which he says have fruit that suits his personal style and preference, and he believes that they'll be long-distance runners."And they probably won't ever really go dumb along the way."

Joey Tensley's wines represent some of the most intense expressions of Rhône 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.