April 14, 2024 - Plush and rich, but still very fruit forward after 15 years from vintage. I like a bit more earth and spice in my Syrah. This hits all cylinders for texture but is not giving enough on the nose and just not complex enough to merit a higher score. Decanted about in hour; I wonder if others have had better luck with a longer decant?
January 7, 2024 - A nice dark, rich syrah, but nothing earth shattering. Not my style anymore, as it does not hide the 15% abv very well.
January 7, 2022 - The 2009 Tensley Syrah Noir features a gorgeous nose of dark, black fruit, charcoal, meat, and blood. Medium-bodied, rich, and incredibly fresh on the palate. It’s hard to believe this is now 13 years old.
August 30, 2019 - P n P tablside. Big berry tainted nose. Full throttle palate of dark fruits. Full on new world style in an apologetic Syrah. At 10 yrs old still amazed at how big the nose and palate are showing. Still food friendly, soft backend with no overtones of alcohol. If you like em big this is a 100 pointer. Wonder what more time will do with this beast?
December 9, 2018 - At its peak. Popped and poured. Intense bery flavors, viscous mouthfeel, layered and ending with toasty spice and supple tannins. Drink it now.
October 11, 2018 - Purplish black in color with a block out the sun sort of quality. Not super intense on the nose, but that might be skewed a bit, in context to the huge intensity of the palate. Aromatically, you get big jammy blackberry and boysenberry, with light vanilla, pepper and a beef jerky meets tree bark sort of thing, but it handles the alcohol well. Very full bodied and viscous in the mouth. The tannins are sweet, smooth and integrated (higher end of medium), but are overshadowed by the alcohol and, a bit surprisingly, the acid. On the palate, there's an explosion of black fruit, coupled with chocolate covered espresso bean, pepper, iron, licorice and a graphite quality that gets drawn out on the finish, which tames the fruit-bomb nature... a bit. The alcohol adds to a perception of sweetness. Finishes long. If you like your wines big and unapologetic, here you go.
December 23, 2017 - Really extracted color that reads closer to black with ruby hues. The nose is pretty reluctant, which is probably the biggest negative to the wine. On the palate, this is just a huge wine. However, it manages the rare feat of being a fruit bomb with a fair degree of soul to it. Explosive notes of blackberry, blueberry and ripe red plums, but it is buffered by notes of spice, pepper, graphite and strong gamy flavors of smoked meat. Medium+ finish with a bit of drying tannin. Voluptuous mouthfeel, but it is probably more textured than silky, which feels more appropriate. This handles the high alcohol expertly. This probably relies more on intensity than complexity, but it is a very good wine and is a really good example of a bombastic, limit pushing, style. This seems to have a lot of years left in it, but it is so fruit forward that I'm not too sure what this evolves into.
The back half of this bottle was throwing a ton of really chunky sediment and this needs to be decanted or you will be chewing on your final glass.
October 28, 2017 - PnP. Jammy black fruit with earth notes. Massive, long finish, very smooth. This is an in your face older fruit bomb. Will be interesting to see where it goes. First bottle of a six pack.
May 2, 2016 - Add this to the list of domestic Syrahs that do it just right for me.
September 1, 2015 - Big dark fruit, velvet jam of boysenberry, tobacco, clove spice, and leather. A big wine with lasting attitude. Can lay another decade.