Jean Leon takes a leap to the origins of the winery when he turns 60. For this reason, he dresses his four Qualified Estate Wines with labels that connect with the exciting story of his founder.
The sophisticated new image of Vinya Gigi, Vinya Palau, Vinya Le Havre and Vinya La Scala is reminiscent of that of the winery's first wines. In 1963, Jean Leon, a Cantabrian born in Santander under the name of Ceferino Carrión and emigrated to the United States, acquired 150 hectares in the heart of the Penedès. There he began planting cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc and chardonnay varieties. Thus he began to fulfill his wine dream.
A few years earlier, he had already fulfilled his first dream, becoming a successful restaurateur in California. His restaurant La Scala was frequented by the crème de la crème of Golden Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe, Zsa Zsa Garbor, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Marlon Brandon or Robert Wagner were regulars at the place.
Jean Leon chose the Penedès
The desire to make a wine for his select clientele had led him to Penedès. They had assured him that the region met the ideal conditions for the vine. He founded the winery in 1963, built in the style of a Bordeaux château. He produced wines by the hand of the oenologist Jaume Rovira who became the alma mater of the project.
Now the legacy of Jean Leon has been kept alive under the direction of winemaker Mireia Torres and her entire team. In this way, not only do they continue to make the wines designed by the founder, but they have also earned them the highest distinction granted by the Generalitat de Catalunya. They do so with the 'Qualified Estate Wine' certification since 2013, being the first winery in Penedès –and the second in Catalonia– to obtain this recognition.
Vinya Gigi Chardonnay 2021, Vinya Palau Merlot 2018. Vinya Le Havre Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2019 and Vinya La Scala Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 2016 commemorate the sixty years of the winery with the current vintages, reproducing on the label the original logo, a classic typeface and a illustration of the winery and the vineyards that surround it.
For its part, El Gran Reserva continues to display a pictorial work on the label, as it does with each new vintage. In the case of the 2016 vintage, the chosen artist is the painter from Penedès, August Rosell. Added to these four wines is the special 60th anniversary edition of Jean Leon Vinya Le Havre Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2013. A small production that is now being released again, demonstrating the great aging capacity of the wines from this Penedès winery.
