2023 Tensley Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Every year, California legend Joey Tensley makes over a dozen wines that show off his prowess with Rhône grapes. But there is only one Colson Canyon Syrah. Grown on his signature site, it’s Tensley’s flagship bottling—and in 2023, he turned in another phenomenal bottling. 

Some of the greatest wineries in the world show their best through signature sites: Heitz Cellars has Martha’s Vineyard, Colgin has Tychson Hill—and Joey Tensley has Colson Canyon. 

He first laid eyes upon Colson Canyon in 1997, the year before he launched his label. The vineyard, which borders the edge of the canyon and reaches 1,400 feet of elevation, had just been planted by owner Reo Reiswig, and Tensley jumped at the chance to become Reiswig’s first client. In 2001, Tensley released his first Colson Canyon–designate Syrah.

The Colson Canyon property covers 115 acres but has only 16 acres of grapes. Because the elevation and rugged terrain make so much of the site untamable, only three more acres of this forbidding site have the potential to be planted. 

But forbidding sites can also be the most blessed. Colson Canyon shows that year in and year out, and the quality has climbed even higher since Tensley and his wife Jennifer purchased Colson Canyon in 2016. They thin the canopy, carefully monitor moisture, and drop fruit when they need to. The reward of all this hands-on care is one of the best red wines in California, coming from one of the state’s maestros.