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DETENTELea WinesDeux TerresDétente
(French for relaxation and good relations)
In Détente, Joey Tensley and winemaker Cécile Dusserre of Domaine de Montvac bring their unique styles and terroirs together to create a remarkable Rhône-style blend. Cécile has been highly praised for the elegant and focused wines she creates from France’s Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Cotes du Rhône regions. Joey has built his reputation crafting meaty, fruit-driven, vineyard-designated Syrahs from Santa Barbara County. In this blend new world meets old to show the best each has to offer.
The story:
Joey and Jennifer Tensley met Cécile Dusserre, while touring the Rhône Valley in the summer of 2008. Tom Byrnes of T. Edward Wines (New York), distributor for both Tensley and Domaine de Montvac, set up a lunch for the winemakers. The rapport between them and respect for one another’s wines was immediately apparent and voilà the idea for Détente was born.
The wine
Made up of 50% 2007 Domaine de Montvac Gigondas and 50% 2007 Tensley Colson Canyon Syrah, this wine shines with the best each growing region has to offer.
The fruit for the Gigondas (70% Grenache; 25% Syrah; 5% Mourvedre) is grown on the steep, south-west facing slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Each varietal benefits from ideal placement and soils rich in iron clay and calcareous rock. Cécile’s Gigondas brings a bright purity and elegance to the Détente blend along with lots of red currant and juicy plum notes complimented by licorice, spice, and a crisp minerality.
The meticulously farmed Colson Canyon vineyard sits high in the mountains off Tepesquet Canyon and is extreme by any standards. Its rocky soils and steep, exposed slopes produce fruit which ripens evenly and shows exquisite balance. In Détente the dark, inky Colson shines through with a rich, round mouthfeel and deep notes of stone fruit, violets, smoky meats and blackberries.
Price: $45 Wine Club:$38.25 Cases Produced: 145 Aging: up to 10 years