Fundamental wines by joey tensley
Affordable, high-quality wine from California's Central Coast, perfect for every night of the week.
It’s often difficult to find high-quality, affordable wine from California, but Joey Tensley proves that it’s possible with his second label, Fundamental Wines. Tensley has been making wine for thirty years and has received upwards of six hundred 90+ point reviews on his wine (over 250 of which have been 95+ points!). Throughout his career, he has found himself consistently inspired by the high quality of everyday drinking wines in other countries, and dreamed of bringing that accessibility back home.
Of course, many factors in the winemaking process– including cost of real estate and cost of labor– make high-quality wine at a lower price point difficult in the United States, and in California, especially. But Tensley does everything he can to keep things simple. He uses very little intervention in the winemaking process (even minimizing his use of electricity!) to ensure that the final, produced wines showcase the true beauty of the Central Coast terroir and convey honest expressions of the grapes. From the beginning, his primary goal with Fundamental was to create wines that would abide by his personal winemaking philosophies, wines that he would want to drink– and that would still be affordable enough to drink– on any night of the week.
That guiding mission is exactly what makes Fundamental Wines work so well. All priced less than $25, the wines are straightforward and yet remarkably polished.
2021 Fundamental Chardonnay
We were blown away with this wine’s versatility and balance. Unlike many other California chardonnays, this straw-colored wine shows only a touch of oak aging on it and does not come across as overly buttery, thanks to Tensley’s choice to use older, softer French Oak barrels instead of American Oak barrels to age the wine. The nose kicks off with golden apple, stone fruits, lemon pith, orange blossom, and jasmine, and quickly opens up to show a beautiful medley of tropical fruits, including banana and pineapple. These tropical fruits show up in the wine’s persistent finish as well, alongside some delicious caramel, which together reminds us of the bananas in a perfectly done, not too rich, bananas foster.
2022 Fundamental White Blend
Surprisingly enough, the white blend is one of our favorites from Fundamental, as it features an exceptionally beautiful fragrance. Besides pronounced notes of brioche and honey, the wine opens with golden apple, white peach, guava, lemon pith, and orange blossoms. The acidity and sapidity are all but perfect, making this a very well-structured white wine that fills your mouth with stone fruits and white flowers, while still being light enough to drink easily. This wine is sure to charm anyone who has the privilege of drinking it.
2022 Fundamental Pinot Noir
There’s really nothing more you could ask for from this pinot noir. It’s a perfectly ruby, fragrant, and crisp expression of the grape showing red fruits like cherry and red plum on the nose, followed by light spices like marjoram and nutmeg, and the slightest touch of earthiness. With a delicious raspberry and pomegranate finish, we could drink this wine all day. Its certain, simple elegance comes from the fact that it is, unlike many other California pinot noirs, actually 100% pinot noir. Tensley really gets the grape to shine, and does so at an exceptionally low price point given the quality of the wine.
2021 Fundamental Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a beautiful cabernet sauvignon that is bold enough to pair with food, but easy enough to drink by itself– a duality that we can’t resist, especially when you consider most of the cabernet sauvignon that comes out of California. The wine opens with notes of purple fruits and flowers, features some vanilla and baking spices, and is most notable for its distinct earthiness. Behind the fruit is the smell of mushrooms, and the finish plays with hints of leather and tobacco, which, along with the already elegant tannins, signal that this wine is ready to age. You’ll be hard pressed to find another California cab that is this well-balanced at this price point.
2021 Fundamental Red Blend
There’s a whole lot of good things to take in with this boldly flavored medium-bodied red blend. It features darker fruits like plum and blackberry on the nose, as well as violet flowers and a number of spices including anise and vanilla from the oak. Slight hints of basil and balsam show up as the wine opens up, eventually yielding the delightful smell of mocha, mixed still with blackberry and violet. The tannins are soft, the structure is well-balanced, and the intensity of flavor is there, making this wine really enjoyable to drink.
Needless to say, Fundamental Wines accomplish exactly what Tensley had in mind. They’re a pleasure to drink and the perfect price point to justify opening a bottle on any occasion– even if it’s just pizza and a movie on a Tuesday night. These wines prove that wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be good, even when it’s made in California.
For more information on Tensley’s Fundamental Wines, you can check out their website or visit their tasting rooms in Los Olivos and Brentwood, California. Because they maintain distribution in over forty states, you can probably also find them at major wine retailers near you. Be sure to keep an eye out!