Winemaker Notes
Deep red. Aromas of dried red berries, cherry pit, pipe tobacco and vanilla; a hint of white pepper adds vivacity. Coats the palate with smoke-accented cherry-vanilla and cassis flavors and shows very good energy and a seamless texture. The smoke and cassis notes carry through a sweet, subtly tannic finish that echoes the tobacco note.
With so much spicy, peppery, red fruit character, this wine is a natural for olive bread and charcuterie, especially fattier meats like speck, prosciutto, black forest ham, and at the top of the list, jamon iberico. Tapenade, hummus, aged hard cheeses and sausage with fennel and similar casual bites will pair well with Calma.
Blend: 100% Tempranillo
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.