Leo Steen Calpella Red

P&p; aromatic and delicious right out of the bottle; not showing much change from a few years ago. Ripe, but not overripe, juicy mixed berries and plums, with leafy, spicy, berry-seed accents. Very fresh, tasty, with excellent acidity. Should have bought more of this. Good stuff!

P 'n p; drinking well right out of the bottle, but at its most expressive 5 hours in. Matches previous notes. Great value. Hooray for California's old Carignan vines!

Opened one hour in advance. Sweet aroma of black fruit with a bit of black pepper. Nice plum/cassis flavors. Black pepper finish. Lovely flavors, balanced, robust without being heavy handed, good backbone, some complexity. Blend of petite sirah and carignagne which integrate quite nicely. Well done.

PnP. Smells like a medley of berries (with distinct raspberry and blueberry), plum, dried herbs/leaves, smoke, and loam; attractive, with both freshness and depth. On the palate, juicy plum, berries, and earth are framed by good lively acidity and smooth medium strength tannins. Dried leaves and gravelly minerality develop in a fairly long finish, with a touch of bitterness. Medium bodied. Robust, but refreshing and quite drinkable. Good stuff; nice to see what can come out of California's old Carignan …