Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Tensley – Syrah – 2023
Colson Canyon Vineyard – Santa Barbara County – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Syrah from the high-elevation Colson Canyon Vineyard, a benchmark site that consistently delivers powerful yet balanced fruit. This vintage shows tension between ripeness, structure, and freshness.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, blackberry, cracked pepper, violet, licorice, and a subtle smoky undertone. Dark, spicy, and focused.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with sleek acidity and fine, integrated tannins. Concentrated but not heavy, with a long, peppery finish that lingers.

Food Pairings
Grilled lamb, beef skewers, duck confit, pepper-crusted steak, or roasted mushrooms.

Verdict
A balanced, expressive Syrah with depth, spice, and length – a great example of why Santa Barbara continues to challenge the top Rhône-style regions.

Did You Know?
Colson Canyon sits at nearly 1,500 ft elevation, producing small berries with thick skins, a key reason these Syrahs show intense color, aromatics, and age-worthy structure. — 12 days ago

Mike Obley

8.9

Seemed a bit tainted — 3 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.7

Wow! Even better than a few months ago. Olives, blueberries, game, forest, pepper, plums. It’s interesting having this a few days after storm Syrah. Very similar. Love that there are more of these us syrahs with good fruit but balance. Central coast style. — 5 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.3

Worth the wait. This wine dazzled and was excellent — 20 days ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Dark peppery fruit. Lush with black cherry. Good balance. Delicious — 2 months ago

with Peter, Gregg and 1 other

Bryn and Tanya

9.8

We got vanilla and peach on the nose, with a struck-match edge that added a savory note. It felt delicate for a Chardonnay but very enjoyable. The balance was spot on. — 4 months ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Dark complex blend. Lots of different varietals and muddled coffee, cherry, dark fruit flavors. — 6 months ago

Raul Puga

9.4

Very smooth good fruit with notes of pepper. Really enjoyed it — a month ago

Doug Powers

9.2

Blackberry, rich and quite thick on palate, but with some very nice underlying acidity that provides some nice tension on the palate and into the lingering finish, very fine Central Coast Syrah! — 2 months ago

with Jim

Charlie Tapp

9.7

Exceptionally vibrant 18 years later.

My favorite zinfandel on the planet. — 5 months ago