“The beat that I’m bangin’ is de-li-cious”

And this wine that we’re sippin’ is de-li-cious. We’re usually timid about celebrity-backed wines. They’re often just… so formulaic. Unappealing. Unoriginal.

So, our bar was low when we opened this.

Then it hit our lips.

And we took another sip, and another… and well it totally pole-vaulted WAY over our expectations bar.

After digging in deeper, we found it. Their secret weapon: Joey Tensley.

A decade ago Robert Parker raved that “Joey Tensley, one of Santa Barbara’s budding superstars, produces a sensational portfolio of wines.” Antonio Galloni of Vinous later echoed “I have seen it time and time again. Joey Tensley’s wines are often brutes when they are young. But then something magical happens. Once the youthful tannins start to soften and the fruit emerges, the wines are often dazzling.” And Jeb Dunnuck recently called them “some of the greatest wines out there.”

Ahhh… now it’s making more sense. Tensley is a Rhône varieties master, which make up more than 2/3 of this with the change being Cab and Merlot. Held in high regard in the wine world for ripping off one high-scoring Syrah after another, landing on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, and hitting near-perfect ratings from Robert Parker and Jeb Dunnuck regularly, Tensley knows how to blend impeccable reds consistently.

Ferguson Crest winery was started by Pat Ferguson and his daughter, who you probably know as Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas. They make some killer wines like this one from a small six-acre estate in Santa Ynez Valley.

Our palates fact-checked this tidbit from the 92-point review: “worth sitting on until at least 2019” as they say. Pushing 10+ years, this blend still has the goods, and then some. Like Tom Brady it just seems to get better with age, serving up bold, forward fruit in a soft, round texture. With huge YUM Factor on the finish, playful while serious. Seriously good juice.

Well, we did our part raiding the winery library, not leaving a bottle of this beauty behind, so…

Boom boom boom, gotta get that!

92 Points, Cellar Selection – Wine Enthusiast

“Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie and Winemaker Joey Tensley converge on a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon that’s worth sitting on until at least 2019. Woody, cigar box aromas pick up notes of camphor and flashes of red fruit, and the flavors fall in line around the cedar, with blueberry, black cherry, and milk chocolate.”