Our Notes
Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Dinner tonight was partly take in from Citarella west side, “Salmon Wellington” that Dorothy wanted to try plus Dorothy’s famous fresh corn off the cob and tomato salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette. The salmon dish was rich and full and needed an incisive wine, we already had opened the Joey Tensley Chardonnay and happily it worked perfectly. The first sense was we were drinking a Bourgogne Chardonnay, good acidity, light oak background, mouth filling fruit with rich textured flavors. This wine is a no brainer.
Dorothy & Bernie | Follow the Drinker®
Critic Notes
Erin Brooks writes: The 2022 Fundamental Chardonnay has gregarious aromas of baked yellow apples, allspice, toast, charcuterie and flinty streaks. The medium-bodied palate has a silky texture and focused acidity to support its full, ripe, spicy flavors, and it has a long, flavorful finish. Drinking 2024 - 2029. - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 90
Winemaker Notes
This wine shows a distinct minerality on the nose. Once you taste it you will get loads of traditional chardonnay flavors like apple, lemon, tropical fruits and a pinch of buttery oak. It's such a fun wine to drink because it covers all of the bases of texture and acidity.
Enjoy with white fish, salmon or even heavier oily pork dishes.
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By the barbecue, at the dinner table, or at a party, there’s likely a happy Wine Access member sipping and sharing a bottle of Joey Tensley’s Fundamental right now. Because ever since the 100-point winemaker set his sights on delivering impeccable Central Coast quality for well under $20, our members have bought his wines by the truckload and made them their every-night pour.
This 2022 Fundamental White is one of the most remarkable values in California today—a no-compromise bottle that bursts with complexity you’d expect from a 100-point winemaker. A blend of Viognier with Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, and Roussanne, it brings beautiful brightness and California generosity, which makes it a slam-dunk pairing with nearly any white-wine-friendly food…or just a balmy day and a pretty view.
We sipped this super-refreshing white during our last visit with Joey and his wife Jennifer. They told us about how their travels abroad, drinking top-notch and value-priced wines around the world, inspired them to create the Fundamental line. As the sun climbed high over their property in inland Santa Barbara County, the Fundamental’s rich mouthfeel, gorgeous aromatics, and clean mineral finish kept us reaching for sip after sip, and we were have been perfectly content whiling away the afternoon with a few more bottles.
The Rhône-inspired 2022 Fundamental White brings tons of citrusy aromatics and ripe fruit, along with a beautiful texture. Finishing with a refreshing touch of minerality, this wine will have you reaching for sip after sip, then bottle after bottle. So one warning: When you drink the Fundamental the way you should—with friends, without hesitation—it can disappear fast. Keep that in mind when you order.
