Spain's Jean León - A Man, A Time, A Wine

Four Wines from Spain's Jean León, based in Penedès, with Mireia Torres and Lucas Gailhac

Jean León's back-story is that he emigrated from Spain to the USA in the 1940s, set up Hollywood’s La Scala restaurant with James Dean and returned to Spain in 1961 to make world-class wines from international varieties; in 1995, in failing health, he sold his estate to Miguel Torres to continue his legacy.

 

Picaresque details from his life include his real name of Ángel Ceferino Carrión Madrazo, a house fire that took the family from Santander to Barcelona, multiple attempts to stow away to the US from Le Havre, working as a New York taxi driver then starting his career as a restaurateur on the West Coast working for Frank Sinatra and going on to serve five Presidents of the USA.

A visionary with both huge ambitions and the relentless work ethic to back it up, he personifies the American Dream of the 1950s.

His winery is boutique, just 39ha are used for his single-vineyard wines, and is based in Penedès surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 300m.

Penedès is a warm-climate area and this is evident in the wines; they are big and ripe, yet with a balancing freshness.

All the wines are named after milestones in Jean León's life:

- Gigi is his daughter who still runs La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills

- Vinya Palau pays tribute to Santander, his hometown

- It was from Le Havre that he set sail to America

The wines are available at Wine Direct, and Vinvm.

Vinya Gigi Chardonnay Single Vineyard, 2017

His charisma and discretion made Jean Leon a confidant to the stars, who embraced him as one of their own and trusted him with their unusual stories. Years later, when he had his own family, Jean Leon produced this organic wine in their honor.

One of Spain’s Chardonnay pioneers, Vinya Gigi was the first to undergo barrel fermentation. The wine originates in a small, exceptional 5-hectare vineyard planted in 1967. Jean Leon named the vineyard – and the wine it produces – after his daughter.

50% barrel-fermented with some lees aging and stirring, plus partial malo; aromatic and floral, with ripe pineapple and peach, some quince and honey, sweet spices and Mediterranean flowers. Intense, persistent and fresh, with a long, elegant mid-palate and a balanced, lush finish.

Very Good.

Match with meaty white fish in a creamy sauce, poultry or other white meat.

Vinya Palau Merlot Single Vineyard, 2015

From stowaway and New York cab driver to one of Hollywood’s most successful restaurant owners and founder of his own namesake winery: Jean Leon’s life is the timeless tale of the American dream. Vinya Palau remembers Jean Leon’s origins and pays tribute to his hometown, Santander, the starting point for a life marked by extraordinary success.

This organic, limited-production varietal wine originates from the Vinya Palau vineyard. The small 10-hectare lot is home to Merlot vines planted in 1991.

12 months' aging in barrel, 40% new oak; plums, ripe dark fruit; licorice, toastiness and balsamics with spices and garrigue herbs; warm, dusty earthiness and dark chocolate shavings with good acidity; fresh and sweetly-fruited with fine-grained tannins

Very Good.

Match with barbecue meats or game such as duck.

Vinya Le Havre Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Single Vineyard, 2015

At the French port of Le Havre, Jean Leon stowed away on a ship bound for the US. He was soon discovered by a sailor who decided to keep his presence a secret. This Reserva wine is a tribute to an unspoken pact with a stranger who changed Jean Leon’s life forever.

Made from Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% of Cabernet Franc, this limited-production wine originates in an exceptional 16-hectare vineyard that shares the same name.

12 months in barrel, mostly French with a small amount of American oak; roasted peppers, black fruits and cassis, iodine, ripe red fruit; spices; toast with a concentration of soft tannins; elegant palate; long and persistent finish

Match with game, such as venison or boar, or aged cheese.

Vinya La Scala Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva Single Vineyard, 2013

This limited-production Gran Reserva is only made from exceptional vintages. It has its origins in the Vinya La Scala vineyard, a small eight-hectare parcel planted in 1963. Considered the first Spanish wine made primarily from the Cabernet Sauvignon variety, Vinya La Scala was selected as the official wine for Ronald Reagan’s inauguration at the White House in 1981.

Its name is a tribute to the restaurant Jean Leon opened in Beverly Hills during Hollywood’s Golden Age. The label of every new vintage features the work of a renowned artist.

The 2013 vintage come alive with the colourful label painted by Gloria Muñoz, which shows the Penedès scenery, immortalizing a sunset in the vineyards where she evokes the land chosen by Jean Leon to make wines with individuality, personality and unique identity.

From an excellent vintage, 24 months' aging in French oak with a further 3 years in bottle before release; ripe dark fruit, spices, complex, mature roasted notes with sage and tobacco; aged gamey-leather and mushrooms, with a full-bodied, firm structure; long and persistent finish.

Very Good.

Match with red meat in spiced sauces, especially green peppercorn.

Three Hill-Smith Wines from South Australia

Three elegant summer wines from Australia's Hill-Smith, including Tasmania's Jansz and Dalrymple

Not to be confused with the Fresh Price of Bel Air, Hill-Smith is a fifth generation family-run wine estate based in South Australia with a sporting history.

The website explains: over five generations, members of the Hill-Smith family have been pioneers in locating exceptional vineyard sites that maximise the personality of their wines. These wines honour the contribution that Wyndham Hill-Smith OBE (1909 - 1989) made to wine, sport and life in Australia.

Well known as a cricketer, Wyndham Hill-Smith both shared the crease with Bradman and faced Larwood at his peak. He was a keen thoroughbred owner, with more than 500 race wins, and well recognised as a generous host and charming raconteur.

Importantly, Wyndham oversaw in the 1960s and ’70s the innovative return of viticulture from the floor of the Barossa Valley to the cooler climes of the high altitude Barossa ranges, known as Eden Valley. In these conditions, finesse, elegance and understated power replace the robust and earthy style of the lower altitudes.

Beyond South Australia, Hill-Smith also owns wineries in cool-climate Tasmania. These three wines are perfect for an elegant summer garden party or picnic - if you thought Australia was just hefty, high-alcohol blockbusters, these elegant Burgundian-style wines will invite you to think again.

Aperitif

Jansz Tasmania Premium Rosé (£18.99, Slurp Frazier’s Wines, Noble Green Wines, Liquorice Wines, www.winedirect.co.uk)

Cool-climate traditional method (aka Methode Tasmanoise) Tasmanian fizz from the very best Tasmanian vineyards, Australia’s home of premium sparkling wine. 

The cool latitude and maritime climate are a major contributory factor to the success of these wines. The fruit is grown on specially selected sites, handpicked and crafted as individual batches resulting in a stylish and complex wine.

Very pale salmon pink, yeasty-brioche biscuit nose, delicate redcurrants, soft red fruit and orchard fruits, creamy-oatmealy brazil nut and saline minerality; vibrant, fresh, elegant and persistent.

Very Good - and better value than an equivalent Champagne.

Drink as an aperitif; match with prawns, salmon, ham or picnic foods..

White

Hill-Smith Eden Valley Chardonnay 2019 (£11.99, Waitrose) 

The rugged, undulating high country of Eden Valley is one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine regions and home to some of the Hill-Smith family’s favourite vineyards where plantings of special Burgundian clones have now come of age for this blend.

The finer flavours, produced by these clones, combined with the use of natural ‘wild yeast’ fermentation and careful crafting results in a more complex and elegant wine with rich creamy flavour and acidity.

The wine has extended lees aging and some new oak

Pale straw with green tints, fragrant aromas of fresh stone fruit, quince and citrus zest with oaky spice minerality; fresh peach and citrus curd with grapefruit acidity, savoury leesiness and a fine creamy texture. Deft, elegant and complex.

Drinking nicely now and will improve further with some cellaring.

Good and Good Value for the quality.

A versatile food wine, match with anything from fish and white meats to salmon fillet with Asian greens or chickpea falafel.

Red

Dalrymple Pinot Noir 2019 (£32.99, Vinvm Flagship Wines)

Cooler than mainland Australia, Tasmania specialises in styles usually found towards the north of France. This Pinot Noir is a blend of different parcels of fruit, from vineyards across the Pipers River region in the northern part of Tasmania.

An easterly aspect, red basalt soils, natural flora and cool sea breezes combine to encourage slow and even ripening of the grapes allowing their natural flavours to shine through.

Dark, deep garnet-purple; intense blackberry, dark cherry and ripe plum with charred spices, dried herbs and liquorice; juicy plum and dark fruits with blue fruits and five spice; fine yet firm tannins; fresh, supple and elegant.

Drinks nicely on first opening, opens up with some aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Very Good.

A versatile food wine, match with game, spiced foods and cured meats.

The CWB Supermarket New World Red-off

Two widely-available New World reds

Carignan and Pinot Noir both produce soft, silky wines with a delicate, supple texture.

The main difference is that Pinot is expensive to make and always carries a price premium, due to the reputation of Burgundy; by contrast, Carignan is a "wine lake" grape, historically producing high yields in hot parts of France with no classic heritage.

If you have heard of Pinot but not of Carignan, this is possibly why; it's the darling vs the ugly duckling.

Another reason is that Carignan is typically a blending wine; late-ripening and heat-loving, it provides colour, acidity and tannins but can prove difficult to make into an elegant varietal wine.

Both these wine are relative bargains, then and punch above their price tag; New Zealand makes some of the best Pinots outside Burgundy for a fraction of the price. And Carignan has the soft texture of Pinot but without the premium.

They are both drinking nicely now, but have the concentration and complexity to improve with some age.

Indomita Gran Reserva Carignan, Chile, 2019 (£7.50, Co-op)

Chile has been getting better and better for a decade or so and is finally starting to reach its potential now.

Lifted red and black fruits with florality and oaky, peppery spice, garrigue herbs, cocoa and savouriness; fresh, full and supple with a dense inky texture; very harmonious and well-made.

Good and Good Value.

Drinks nicely on first opening but can be cellared.

Match with roast red meat or barbecue foods.

Tesco Finest Central Otago Pinot Noir, 2020 (Tesco, £13)

Made by Villa Maria, New Zealand's most awarded winery and always a source of highly enjoyable, well-made, good-value wines.

Farmyardy sous-bois and complex spices; lifted dark berry fruits, black cherries and black olives with some toasty savouriness; fresh, supple, concentrated and long.

Very Good.

Drinks nicely on first opening, but will improve further with some aging.

A fresh, versatile red, match with rich, strongly-flavoured foods, from lamb to salmon steak, venison to guinea fowl, pâté to charcuterie.

The CWB Limestone Coast Red-Off

Two reds from South Australia's Limestone Coast

Australia has not historically focused so much on the concept of terroir, that somewhat undefinable "sense of place" that is untranslatable from the French.

It was, after all, the country that gave us varietal labelling and told us that the Chardonnay in your glass was the same grape as you get in a White Burgundy.

However, as the country matures, certain sites prove to be better than others for winemaking, so labelling by location as well as by grape variety starts to make more sense - especially for the more ambitious wines that convey a sense of place rather than just "sunshine in a  glass".

As one Australian winemaker once told me: Australian wine needs to get big, or get fine.

The Limestone Coast is in the south east of South Australia. and consists of a number of sub-regions, including Coonawarra and Wrattonbully.

It does not quite equate to a European region in the sense of ever-more specific names ranking higher for quality, such as Bordeaux -> Medoc -> Pauillac. Rather it is more of a general, loose geographic grouping with a shared geological history.

Halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide, the greater Limestone Coast Region was historically submerged under the sea for over 25 million years, during which time marine crustaceans and shells on the sea floor formed limestone reefs.

Approximately one million years ago, the region began rising out of the sea; as the sea receded, it left in its wake fourteen stranded coastlines or ranges between the Naracoorte range and the current coastline.

Wind-blown organic material accumulated on top of these limestone reefs and formed the famous terra rossa soils found particularly in the Coonawarra and Wrattonbully wine regions.

The Second Fleet Shiraz £ 6.99 (90 BampWine Points)

The Second Fleet Shiraz - at Lidl UK - www.lidl.co.uk

Being close to the ocean, the Limestone Coast has a naturally cool climate, giving this Shiraz a fine, peppery freshness.

Dark berries and black fruits with tobacco, liquorice and oaky spice; full and supple.

Good.

Match with grilled meats, pepper steak or an earthy wild mushroom tart.

Hollick Old Vine Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (£17.50)

At four years old there is already some bricking of the colour and aged aromas.

Dark fruits, spice and complex leathery sous bois; ripe, slightly baked dark berry, plum and cassis fruit with leathery tobacco, cocoa and spice; warming minty eucalyptus and mouthwatering acidity. Very fine, gentle tannins, very harmonious.

New World fruit and New World ripeness with Old World complexity.

Drinks nicely on first pouring as a sophisticated ripe quaffer; the complexity becomes more apparent with a little aeration as the overt fruit blows off.

Good.

Match with barbecue foods or red meat stews.

From the Hollick Estates website:

Coonawarra Winery and Cellar Door, Coonawarra Wines | Hollick Estates

Hollick Old Vine Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon – Latitude Wine & Liquor Merchant

Hollick Estates is a boutique winery located on the famed terra rossa soils of Coonawarra. Renowned for their extensive range of premium table wines, including several alternative varietals. All of which can be sampled in Cellar Door.

The Hollick Estate's cellar door oozes charm, a charming stone cottage leads the way toward the tasting room and restaurant where a wall of windows overlooks vines planted by Ian and Wendy Hollick. Their three primary vineyards are Neilson's Block, Wilgha, and the Red Ridge vineyard in Wrattonbully (developed in 1998).

The fruit for the Cabernet Sauvignon is selected from old vine material from the Wilgha and Neilson's Block vineyards at the cooler, southern end of Coonawarra. Located on the famous terra rossa soil, these vineyards were originally planted in the 1970s and early 1980s.

It will effortlessly cellar for at least 10 years. 

The wine was matured in French oak, adding to its structure, but not dominating the pure Coonawarra Cabernet fruit characters.

Tasting Notes 

Aromas of blackcurrant and mulberry fruit provide the introduction to lingering chocolate and spicy fruit. On the palate blackberries & plums, with a touch of spice. A mouth -watering wine. The subtle tannins provide balance whilst the lingering chocolate adds an elegant finish. Serve alongside steak with roasted piccolo tomatoes, rocket salad and shaved parmesan.

On Wine And Branding

Creating labels/packaging for your wine that says BUY ME

By Richard Horwell, Brand Relations

Let me start with a bold statement. Your branding is as important as the product itself. You can have the best tasting wine on the market but if no one picks it up and tries it, no one will ever know, 90% of a first-time purchase is based on the branding; it’s why a consumer will pick your product over their regular choice or your competition.

But don’t confuse design with branding, as many agencies do. Branding is the message you want to give your target consumer - and that message on your packaging should be ‘BUY ME’.

Education

In developing any product, including a wine brand, the starting point is asking a LOT of questions. These questions will be much the same as the ones your target audience will ask. For example: ‘what is unique about this product?’; ‘why is it better than the competition’; ‘should I risk spending money on this untried brand?’; ’does this product offer value for money?’ Your branding needs to answer all these questions.

The MOST expensive word in the Food & Drink category is ‘education’, if you need to take time to educate the consumer, away from the packaging, then you will either spend millions or fail, or both.

The best place to educate your target audience is on your wine’s label and other packaging, so your branding needs to be clear and perfect.

That’s what the branding is for; to provide instant education.

Link to what your audience already understands

We all tend to Pigeonhole everything in our lives and whether we are conscious of it or not, when we see a new brand, we put it in its place. So, if you are attempting to break new ground – perhaps with a mixed product including wine - then you need to add something to the mix that the consumer knows.

To take one related example to illustrate this point, we have just developed a drink based on the Stinging Nettle called Emunity, so to help consumers to reach out and try this we have added ingredients and flavours they recognise, like gooseberry, cucumber and wild strawberry.

The key is to make sure the messaging is easy to understand and include elements that consumers can understand instantly, which helps then to choose your product fast.

Ask Questions

In order to get your branding right, you need to ask yourself and others some questions:

1/ Where will this wine sell and what brands will sit alongside it? How will my product stand out against them?

2/ What is my brand message? For example, is it based on spoiling yourself or great taste?

3/ Will my consumer be able to read the messages I have on the label from a distance, without picking it up?

4/ Does my brand look premium enough for the selling price?

5/ Why should a consumer buy my brand instead of their regular choice?

Getting the answers to these questions is the first step to creating brilliant branding and perfect labels/packaging.

It’s about them, not you

When I lived in Australia, I knew a very successful businessman who could turn his hand to anything. When I asked him his secret to success, his response was ‘when you explain something to someone and they don’t understand, it’s not them that’s stupid, it’s you for not explaining it properly’. This is the same with branding for wine, just putting your brand name on the front and thinking the brand will sell is crazy, Consumers don’t care about a ‘new’ brand name, they care about what’s in it for them.

So, make sure your message conveys this. Always focus on them, not you.

Point of Difference

In order to have any chance of success in today’s market you must have a point of difference. This needs to be very clear in your branding and messaging on the packaging. Just being vegan wine, for example, is not enough - there are masses of vegan brands now, and when it comes to drinks most of them are already vegan.

What makes your brand different? The MOST important points of difference should highlight on the packaging. The less important ones still need to be on there, but they can go on areas the consumer will read once they pick the product up.

Be wary of minimalism

Minimalism has become a trend in recent years with many designs jumping on the bandwagon. However, be careful not to make it too minimal. I have seen some laughable branding where a designer has tried to be cool but forgotten about selling the brand. This has led to the consumer ignoring it completely and reaching for the safer option, in other words, one of the established wine brands they already know. Find the right balance between doing too much or too little. You also don’t want to waffle; let your branding do the talking.

Your Values

Consumers want brands to be transparent and they want to understand the brand’s heritage and values. The history and tradition of the wine region is clearly important. Also is the product certified to be Vegan, Fairtrade or Organic? Which of these will resonate with your target audience? More recently consumers are looking for certifications like ‘B Corporation’, which commends businesses that give as much consideration to their social and environmental impact as they do to their financial returns.

This move towards wanting to buy from companies with matching values is an opportunity for new, indie brands as the established companies can’t adapt quickly. It takes time to remove artificial ingredients and replace them with natural ones, to change supply chains to Fairtrade or a more ethical source or create a business that cares about the environment and its impact on our future. This is what today’s consumers are looking for and this is what your branding should communicate about your wine business.

Conclusion

Your packaging needs to communicate your brand so that your target consumer back that vital initial purchase. It should also say ‘buy ME’ in a way that they simply cannot ignore!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Horwell is the owner of Brand Relations, a specialist food and drink marketing and branding company based in London. Over the last 13 years, Brand Relations has been behind the launch and development of over 100 brands in the UK. Richard has also built up and sold companies of his own in the Food and Beverage sector. He has over 30 years’ experience in marketing FMCG brands around the world, having lived and worked in the UK, USA, Australia and the Middle East.

www.brandrelations.co.uk

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The CWB Soave-Off

A tasting of two Soaves - Tesco vs Private Cellar

Soave - pronounced SWAH-vey and meaning suave - is a region of north east Italy producing white wines. It is just north of Venice in the Veneto region, not far from Verona, where (mostly) Garganega is grown.

Sommelier and all-round charismatic bon viveur Donald Edwards informs me that Soave is grown on volcanic soils, which add to the elegance, precision and linear minerality of the wine.

Soave is Italy's answer to basic white Burgundy; a neutral, medium-bodied, orchard-fruited, lemony white wine with the versatility to accompany a wide range of foods.

Soave was once a best-seller of Italian wines; now eclipsed by the ubiquitous pub white Pinot Grigio, it is making something of a comeback.

Put another way, now is a good time to buy Soave, since quality is ahead of general recognition and therefore pricing.

Tesco Finest Soave Classico Superiore (£7.50, Tesco)

Garganega grown on the Soave Classico hills, partially aged in oak for 10 months.

Rich, ripe pear, white stone fruits and baked apple with citrus, almond blossom, minerality and sweet spices. Elegant and adept.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Match with spaghetti carbonara or meaty white fish in a creamy sauce.

Soave Gregoris, Antonio Fattori, Italy 2018 (£10.75, Private Cellar)

Costing only a few pounds more, but selected by Private Cellar's MW buyer, this is recognisably from the same region and grape, but just a little bit better in every way.

Melon, lime and white stone fruits with orchard fruits, honeysuckle and pebbly minerality. Textured, elegant and precise.

Good.

Improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

A versatile food wine, drink as an aperitif, with light starters, creamy risottos or lean white met such as chicken or fish.

It is also available in magnums for those "we're gonna need a bigger bottle" occasions.

The CWB Southern-Rhône-Off

 

Two very different Southern Rhônes - Fontbonau and Tesco *Finest

If you like wines with the spice and fruit of a warm climate, yet also the classic substance and structure of the Old World while avoiding the heavy-hitting price tag of a Big Name Region, then the Southern Rhône pretty much ticks all boxes.

The Southern Rhône is a large and diverse wine-producing area, producing wines of all colours; wine-making here dates back 2,000 years and there are over 5,000 winemakers and merchants.

The valley has had a turbulent geological past, as is typical for riverscapes, creating steep slopes, rolling hillsides and a huge variety of different soil types. It is theses different soils, aspects and slopes that bring variety and interest to the wines of the region. The southerly climate with high levels of sunshine brings ripeness, body and darker fruit flavours.

In quality terms, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages is a step up the classification  ladder from the catch-all Côtes-du-Rhône, but sits below more-specific appellations such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Vacqueyras.

Southern Rhône reds are usually a blend of Grenache for vibrancy with Syrah for colour / tannins and dark fruit / spice as well as Mourvèdre which likes the heat and provides flavours of wild game, earthiness and red fruits.

Tesco Finest Cotes Du Rhone Villages, 2020 (Tesco, £7) 

From the Côtes-du-Rhône village of Signargues, a blend of mainly Syrah and Grenache.

Baked red and dark berry fruits with sweet vanilla spice and some leathery gaminess; hefty and warming, but with enough freshness and very fine, gentle tannins.

Drinks nicely on first opening, then continues to improve with aeration.

Well-made and thoroughly enjoyable.

A crowd-pleasing Big Red, this would be a great summer barbecue wine; in autumn, with bangers and mash or beef stew.

Domaine de Fontbonau Cotes-du-Rhone 2012 (£12.99, Cambridge Wine Merchants) 

Despite its more lowly classification, this is a very different wine; the price also belies its quality somewhat. Around £20 would be a fairer reflection of its quality and age, but it was a fire-sale lot picked up by CWM's buyers for well below market price.

Mature southern Rhônes are somewhat unusual; they tend to drink well in their youth so do not require the same level of aging as, say, Bordeaux to become approachable.

Leather, mushrooms and sous bois with ripe berries, cool mint and complex, well-integrated, oaky vanilla spice; ripe yet savoury, intense and supple with very fine tannins.

Very Good.

Match with darker game or roast lamb.