2022 Tensley, Nolan Vineyard Red, Santa Barbara County, California, USA

The 2022 Red Wine Nolan Vineyard is showing very well. It’s a big wine, as all the 2022s are, but it also offers tons of aromatic nuance, complexity and personality. Dark red cherry/plum fruit, cinnamon, dried herbs and liquorice all race across the palate. This is a fine follow-up to the 2021.

Joey Tensley’s 2021s capture all the potential I sensed when I tasted them from barrel last year. The wines offer a combination of fruit purity, textural intensity and vibrancy that perfectly captures the essence of 2021. Most of the wines see some whole cluster, around 25-30% and minimal new oak, also around 25%, with one or two exceptions.

The 2022s, which I tasted just prior to bottling, show a touch more fruit intensity and overall concentration. It will be interesting to see how those wines develop over the next year.

Drink 2024 - 2032

A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Petite Sirah, the 2022 Nolan Red Wine is a massive fruit bomb delivering tons of ripe black and blue fruits as well as some chocolate, leafy herbs, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. It brings tons of fruit, is full-bodied, and has a great finish.

The 2022 Red Wine Nolan Vineyard is a blend of equal parts Petite Sirah, Syrah and Mourvèdre. It's deeply scented of blueberry and blackcurrant and offers nuances of dried beef, coffee, soy sauce, violet and sage. The full-bodied palate is structured by powerful, clay-textured tannins and bright sparks of juicy acidity. It has a highly concentrated, perfumed core of fruit and a very long, layered and detailed finish—what great definition and fragrance!

Drink 2025 - 2040