2023 Tensley Syrah Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Jeb Dunnuck called Tensley’s wines “dollar for dollar…some of the greatest wines out there,” and he declared the 2023 Santa Barbara Syrah “will be gorgeous.” Wine Advocate, whose founder Robert Parker was one of the first Tensley cheerleaders, managed to sum up his winemaking style in their review: It’s “dangerously easy to drink without sacrificing nuance or complexity.”

When Joey Tensley released his first wine in the late ‘90s, hardly anyone was making Syrah in Santa Barbara. Today, the region’s sunny, windblown hills are renowned as world-class for the variety—and Joey Tensley is revered as one of the great California Syrah craftsmen who’s ever stained his hands with the grape.

Tensley’s 2023 is a tapestry of the microclimates that let Santa Barbara’s winemakers explore Syrah’s range of styles. Joey called on seven prime sites for this wine, such as Minetti, Martian, Zaca Mesa, the legendary Colson Canyon Vineyard, his own Tensley Vineyard, Thompson, and Rodney’s.

That range of characters integrates seamlessly to deliver a dark-fruited dynamo. Ripe blackberry and black plum aromas are complemented by notes of cedar, cracked pepper, violets, flint, and charcuterie with every swirl. Prismatic on the palate, it shows savory black fruit, peppery spice, and a touch of incense on the finish.

Wine Advocate has called Tensley’s wines “some of the most intense expressions of Rhône varieties…in the Central Coast,” and the 2023 vintage is no exception, while still retaining freshness and vibrancy. It’s a style that established Tensley as a Syrah master—and it shines brilliantly in this bottle.