tensley wines in Illinois
tensley wines
Interested in selling or serving Candid
Wines to your customers?  Please
contact Damien.
Candid Wines receives small amounts wine
from the following vineyards each year:

Colson Canyon Syrah
Located at 1500 feet of elevation in a steep canyon with
limestone soils in the hills north east of Santa Maria.  
The vines produce low yields from small clusters of tiny
berries.  The vineyard is located above the fog line and
does not receive early morning sun, but it bakes in the
afternoon. The limestone rich soil gives it a particular
minerality that Joey finds unusual for California Syrahs.  
This is the only wine in the lineup that sees any new oak
(20%).

Three Creek Vineyard Syrah
This organically farmed vineyard is located in the warm
rocky Happy Canyon area of the Santa Ynez Valley. The
south facing slopes are planted with Rhone varietals and
the labor intensive organic farming methods yield high
quality grapes. This Syrah is dark, almost opaque and
shows the tightest tannins of the lot when young.  Parker
calls the 2005 a "Hermitage like Syrah...that should only
be purchased by true connoisseurs".  (We think it makes
wine lovers happy.)

Tierra Alta Syrah
A steep hillside of volcanic ash based soils located just
to the west of Los Olivos. This vineyard was planted in
2000 and the first vintage was 2003.  The Syrah leaves
and fruit are rigorously pruned during the summer,
resulting in low yields.  Typically Joey expects to get
about 2.5 tons per acre yield from his vineyard blocks,
but the Tierra Alta vineyard yields about 1.7 tons per
acre.   Joey feels the additional pruning leads to a more
“feminine wine; nice fruit and backbone”. He adds "the
99 Syrah clone planted in this vineyard is known for its
enticing nuances of minerals and earth”.

Camp 4 Vineyard Blanc
This warm, relatively flat vineyard with loamy soils is
located in the Santa Ynez valley.   The Camp 4 Blanc is a
blend of roughly 60 % Grenache Blanc and 40%
Roussanne and Joey buys fruit from specific, continuous
rows of vines in roughly that 2:1 ratio.  The final blend
changes a bit year to year to account for different
vintage conditions.  The fruit is pressed together as
whole clusters into neutral oak barrels. All fermentation
takes place in barrel.  Joey filters the Camp 4 prior to
bottling.
Recent Reviews

From the Tensley Web site:

2006 Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah
Our Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah is the
backbone of the Tensley Wines program.
As in 2005. more than half of our production
comes from this highly sought-after
vineyard.  As always, the Colson Canyon is
the only one of our wines to see any new
oak.  This vintage was aged in 20% new and
20% one-year-old French barrels to add a bit
of sweet toast and vanilla to the finish of this
already complex wine.  Saturated and
ruby/black, the Colson is rich in jammy fruit,
chocolate and pepper yet maintains its
integrity as a balanced wine by
harmoniously integrating tannin and
acitdity.  Drink this wine now or age it up to
15 years.


2006 Camp 4 Blanc - 60% Grenache Blanc /
40% Roussanne
This is Tensley Wines' third vintage of the
Camp 4 Vineyard Blanc, the only wine
Jennifer and Joey Tensley make as a team.
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.


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