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John Belfy, who farms the Tierra Alta Vineyard, says this is the latest he has ever picked grapes in his 20 years as a grower - December 27th... (Can you say raisins?!). The fruit was picked at a potential alcohol of 19.5%, but we thought that might be a little excessive, so we stopped fermentation at 16.9% leaving 5% residual sugar. Look for nuances of chocolate and blackberries with a strong finish of dried prunes and sweetness.

This is Tensley Wines' third vintage of the Camp 4 Vineyard Blanc, the only wine Jennifer and Joey Tensley make as a team. As in past vintages, the two grape varieties come from continuous rows within the vineyard, but unlike years past, this vintage includes a slightly higher percentage of Roussanne (40% as opposed to 35%). The result is a bit more weight in the mouth and a touch more tropical fruit on the palate. The Grenache Blanc and Roussanne were pressed together as whole clusters into neutral oak barrels. All fermentation took place in barrel, and malolactic fermentation was stopped halfway through to retain acidity and freshness. Once again these varietals have proven that they are a match made in heaven. The Grenache Blanc shines with fresh minerals, pebbles, and crisp green apple while the Roussanne offers up a luscious mouthfeel brimming with guava, mango, nectarines and apricots. Drink this wine now or age it over the next three to five years.

This is Tensley’s second vintage of Camp 4 Blanc, the only wine made by Joey and Jennifer Tensley as a team. Like the Tensleys themselves, these two grapes complement one another perfectly. The Grenache Blanc brings a steely, mineral quality to the wine which balances beautifully with the lush mouthfeel and rich fruit of the Roussanne. This complex wine is enjoyable now but should age well over the next 3 to 4 years.

Located on Refugio Road near the Santa Ynez River, this vineyard has warm days but fog-influenced, cool nights. With big red and black fruits, an inky-black color, and a touch of sweet cocoa on the finish, this wine is unmistakably New World. If you like a lot of flavor and texture this Syrah is definitely for you. Because of its low acidity the Clover Creek will not age as long as most Tensley Syrahs, but it will drink beautifully at a young age and should reach its peak in 3 to 5 years.

Colson Canyon Vineyard’s original, 8-acre planting of Clone 7 is the backbone of the Tensley Wines program. More than half of our 2005 production comes from this highly sought-after parcel. These grapes were picked over a period of six days for maximum complexity. The first couple of picks were for acid and bright raspberry nuances; later picks showed increasingly smoky, meaty and chocolate nuances. The wine was then aged in 20% new French oak and 20% one-year-old French oak to add a bit of sweet vanilla and coffee to the finish. Being so big yet so balanced, this Syrah will age gracefully over the next 8 to 10 years yet is still quite approachable and appealing now.

This marks the first vintage of Jennifer’s "Lea" brand Pinot Noir. The grapes for this Pinot blend were sourced from two prime Santa Rita Hills vineyards, Zotovich and Turner. After picking at 25.3 brix, the wine was made in true Tensley tradition; 70% of the grapes were destemmed by gravity and fed into open top fermenters and the remaining 30% were left as whole clusters. The wine was punched down three times daily for 21 days and pressed straight to neutral French oak barrels. It was then aged on the lees for one year before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine is brimming with bright strawberry and spice and shows a rounded, silky texture and long finish. While this Pinot is drinking beautifully now, it will continue to age intriguingly over the next 4 to 6 years.

Planted to the renowned Pommard clone, the south-facing slopes and sandy soils of the Turner vineyard make it an ideal terroir for Pinot Noir. This wine was gently basket pressed and hand bucketed to neutral French oak barrels. Handling it with kid gloves definitely paid off as Jennifer was left with one of the darkest, most intense Pinot Noirs she or Joey had ever tasted. This wine is big, round and lush in the mouth with notes of blackberry, blueberry and purple plums. The spice is deep and the tannic structure solid though the tannins themselves are appealingly soft and grainy. While this wine is very appealing now, it will certainly develop beautifully over the next 6 to 8 years.

The 2006 Black Oak rosé has a rich, rounded mouthfeel and an intriguing streak of earth underlying its generous notes of strawberry, raspberry and rose petals. It shows a fine structure and a pleasant hint of crisp, clean minerality on the finish. While this wine pairs perfectly with lighter fare, this rosé also proved itself a terrific match for the andouille sausage, spicy red beans, and dark gumbo Jennifer's family served on her recent visit home. While this wine will continue to evolve over the next couple of years, it is best enjoyed in its youth.

This velvety, fruit-driven Syrah is a blend of 90% Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah and 10% Tierra Alta Vineyard Syrah. It was made in the Tensley tradition of using 30% whole cluster fermentation and three times daily hand punch downs. The wine was then aged in neutral oak barrels to allow the mouthwatering notes of black cherry, raspberries, and juicy plums to shine through. The Tierra Alta grapes for this blend come from the flatter, bottom section of the vineyard (as opposed to the steep hillside fruit used in the vineyard-designated Tierra Alta). The Colson barrels chosen for this blend were those which showed all the fruit-forwardness and depth of our traditional Colson but which did not have the aging potential associated with our vineyard designated Syrahs. This wine is very appealing now but can also be aged another five to seven years.

The Thompson Vineyard, established in 1990, has long been a Santa Barbara County favorite for Syrah. 2005 was our 8th vintage of this wine and is undoubtedly one of the best. While this vineyard consistently produces low yields and high quality fruit, 2005 showed more extraction than, say, the 2003 vintage. Cool nights and great drainage seem to have something to do with the age ability of Thompson Vineyard. Collecting? Put a case away and open one a year for the next 12 years to watch it evolve. We’re sure you’ll be impressed.

Located in the Happy Canyon area, this warm, rocky vineyard is meticulously farmed using strict organic practices. The result is a low yield and very pure, extracted fruit. Look for full, round flavors of ripe currant, anise and lavender with an undercurrent of earth and crushed rocks. I’m sure you can hold this wine for 8 to 10 years, but if you like the weight and power you might want to start drinking it young and watch it evolve over time. While this is our first vintage of this wine, we have been very impressed and look forward to a long and (pardon the pun) fruitful future together.

This is Tensley's first 100% Grenache Blanc as well as Tierra Alta's first leaf of the plantings. Only one barrel of this wine was made, and the juice was fermented in that one neutral oak barrel. Joey stopped malolactic fermentation halfway through in order to retain the acidity and freshness of this unique varietal. This viscous wine shines with notes of pineapple, apricot and peach and alluring aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle. The residual sugar is 1%; alcohol is 12.9%. This wine is very appealing now and can also be aged for another three to five years.