TENSLEY WINES
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA 2024
Numbers alone can't begin to tell you the story of a great wine — of its mouthfeel, of its capacity to take you someplace different and better, of its essential mystery. But in the case of Tensley Wines, we're referring not just to the scores from the critics, great as they are. We’re also talking about the prices, which are frankly astounding. His current portfolio, from which we've selected five that thrilled us, includes a potential 98-pointer for a mind-blowing $55, a 98-pointer for $100, and a perfect wine, a 100-pointer that Jeb Dunnuck declared “legendary," for just $175 in magnum.
How does Joey Tensley do it?
We can't answer that. We can only put it into print that we hope he keeps doing it.
What makes his achievement that much more special is what that "it" actually constitutes. These are not impersonal, internationalized wines. Tensley builds them according to his own demanding personal taste, with estate fruit and fruit from premier vineyards in Santa Barbara, and treats them as minimally as possible. He insists upon native fermentations, is fond of using whole clusters for pressing, and ages his wines in mostly neutral oak.
Jeb Dunnuck reviewed all five, and you can hear his enthusiasm in every turn of phrase.
The holder of that “legendary” is the 100-point 2019 O.G.T. Syrah, a wine, wrote Dunnuck, that's "impossible to resist today" with "ripe tannins, brilliant mid-palate depth, no hard edges, and a great, great finish.” He was nearly as enamored of the 2024 BMT Syrah, which took home 98 points; "full-bodied, balanced, and concentrated,” he observed, it’s made in the "classy, elegant style this cuvée is known for" and "will cruise for 25-30 years.” The 2024 Noir Syrah, which he awarded a potential 98 points, sent him to swooning, too: "full-bodied, deep, and opulent,” he called it, yet "fresh and lively, yet incredibly powerful and pure, with a singular style that leaves a lasting impression."
What struck us most, in our recent tasting, wasn’t just the consistency that has long been a Tensley signature, but the sense that these wines are the handiwork of someone who genuinely understands what makes great Syrah tick. There's no manipulation, no heavy-handed intervention — just intelligent, sensitive, and above all patient winemaking applied to exceptional fruit.
To know something of Tensley's journey is to like them even more.
He caught the wine bug early, at age 12, on a trip to France, when he and his soccer team toured a wine cave. That lightbulb moment led him, exactly a decade later, to working the bottling line at Fess Parker, and then, six years after that, to starting his own label, Tensley Wines, in 1998, with the most cautious of outputs: just 100 cases.
He was still, then, relatively new to Syrah, but he learned quickly, and by 2008, Food and Wine came calling, selecting one of his wines as the "Top Syrah in America Over $20.”
Today, Tensley Wines has grown well past that initial run of 100 cases a year, but its founder and proprietor has worked hard to ensure that production remains limited. Tensley makes just 5,000 cases annually, in order to maintain the same hands-on approach that launched him.
Here’s to his not growing one bit bigger. To staying the same little engine that could.
And all the better that that little engine makes such wonderfully delicious and distinct wine.
These won’t stick around for long, folks, so hop on this STAT and secure your bottles and cases today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Winter 2026 (Dec. 21st, Mar. 20th, 2026). With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in CO, FL, GA, KS, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OK, SC, or TN. This offer will expire on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026.