Jean Leon

Founded in 1964, the Jean Leon winery is owned today by the Torres group, but preserves the spirit and philosophy of its creator, Jean Leon, a notable figure with very close links to the world of cinema and the Hollywood glamour of the 1950s and 60s.

Quite a legend inside and outside the sphere of wine, Jean Leon is none other than Ceferino Carrión, from Santander and a humble background. After a complicated childhood that took him to Barcelona, Paris and New York, he eventually ended up in Hollywood and finished up personifying what could be called the American Dream. There he partnered James Dean in the opening of the La Scala restaurant, which became a real reference point in the Beverly Hills of those days and was the place to meet for top celebrities like Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and Marilyn Monroe. Not satisfied with the wines on the menu, following a trip to France and Spain, he decided in 1962 to buy 150 ha in Torrelavit, in the Penedès, with the aim of making the same wine he was going to serve in his restaurant.

Situated on clay, chalky and stony soils, the Jean Leon estate contained local vine stock that were replaced by international varieties, thus pioneering in Spain the growing of varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chardonnay, all sourced from highly prestigious French wineries like Lafite-Rothschild, La Lagune and Corton Charlemagne. Constructed in the Bordeaux château style, the winery combines tradition with the most advanced production methods. Outstanding amongst its output are the single vineyard wines originating from the 4 estates which the winery possesses in the heart of the Penedès: Vinya La Scala, Vinya Le Havre, Vinya Palau and Vinya Gigi, from which they extract a unique and very special personality, resulting from the characteristics of their terroir, vineyard and microclimate. Due to the organic farming that has been operational in the vineyards since 2008, the wines are now certified as organically produced.