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Jean
León
& Jaume
Rovira
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Oenologists
for
the
stars
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Oenologists:
Jean
León
and
Jaume
Rovira
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 he
story
of
oenologist
and
entrepreneur,
Jean
León,
is
a
tale
of
adventure
and
glamour
fit
for
the
silver-screen.
His
successful
life,
studded
with
many
achievements
-
the
pinnacle
of
which
being
the
founding
and
presiding
over
the
famous
Jean
León
winery
in
the
Penedès
region
of
Spain
(Catalonia),
came
only
after
years
of
hard-traveling,
dreaming
and
risk-taking.
At
age
19,
León
left
Spain
with
a
single
suitcase
and
almost
no
money.
He
traveled
first
to
Paris,
and
then
stowed-away
on
a
merchant
vessel,
which
brought
him
to
New
York
where
he
worked
illegally
for
a
while
bussing
tables.
In
an
effort
to
ease
his
immigration
problems,
he
moved
on
to
California.
It
was
when
he
reached
Hollywood
that
his
luck
began
to
change.
And
it
began
at
the
Villa
Capri,
the
famous
restaurant
which
was
owned
by
Frank
Sinatra
and
Joe
di
Maggio,
where
León
was
offered
a
job.
|
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was
at this
time
that
he changed
his
name
–
a common
practice
of young
people
seeking
the
limelight
in Hollywood
at the
time
- and
began
fraternizing
with
the
restaurant’s
clientele.
This
group
of regulars
included
Grace
Kelly,
Natalie
Wood,
Julie
Garland,
Debbie
Reynolds,
and
James
Dean.
León’s
friendship
with
James
Dean
flourished
and
the
two
decided
to be
business
partners
to achieve
a mutual
dream:
founding
the
most
luxurious
restaurant
in Hollywood.
Dean
and
León
worked
together
passionately
on the
plans
for
what
was
to become
La Scala.
Unfortunately,
Dean
was
killed
in an
auto
accident
before
the
two
cut
the
ribbon
on their
new
restaurant.
León,
however
much
aggrieved
by the
loss
of his
friend,
went
ahead
and
opened
La Scala
to a
storm
of praise.
The
restaurant
became
an
immediate
success.
Its
tables
were
filled
every
night
with
Hollywood’s
most
elite
actors
and
directors.
Among
La
Scala’s
regulars
were
Humphrey
Bogart,
Fred
Astaire,
Marlon
Brando,
Gary
Cooper
and
Marilyn
Monroe.
|
In
search
of
the
world’s
greatest
wine…
|
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León’s
ambitions
did
not
end
with
the
success
of
La
Scala.
His
status
in
gastronomic
circles
increased
and
he
earned
the
reputation
in
Hollywood
of
being
a
great
connoisseur
of
fine
wines.
But
he
never
found
a
wine
that
was,
in
his
opinion,
‘perfect’.
And
so
he
decided
to
create
one.
He
left
California
and
traveled
the
world
in
search
of
a
perfect
plot
of
land,
finally
settling
on
150
hectares
of
chalky,
clay
earth
on
a
southern-facing
slope
in
Spain’s
Catalonia
region.
Here,
León
teamed
up
with
oenologist,
Jaume
Rovira,
whose
remarkable
talent
for
wine
matched
his
own
and
the
two
began
the
Jean
León
Winery.
The
local
vines
were
eradicated
from
the
land,
and
in
their
place,
León
planted
imported
grafts
of
Cabernet
Sauvignon,
Merlot
and
Chardonnay,
which
came
from
prestigious
French
wineries
such
as
Château
Lafitte-Rothschild,
La
Lagune
and
Corton
Charlemagne.
With
this,
León
went
down
in
history
as
being
the
first
person
to
plant
foreign
noble
varietals
in
Spain.
Rovira’s
successful
innovations
equally
gave
to
the
prestige
of
the
Jean
León
Winery.
His
personal
formula
for
growing
the
best
wine: |
|
Acquire
the
very
best
vines
from
your
favorite
French
Chateaux,
double
the
number
of
vines
per
hectacre
and
half
the
production,
improve
aeration
and
exposure
to
sun.
Ferment
and
macerate
the
red
wine
must
in
wide
vats
for
greater
extraction
of
color
and
tannins.
Malolactic
fermentation
to
take
care
of
any
unpleasant
acidity.
Lots
of
different
oaks,
American,
French
and
Hungarian,
long,
beautiful
corks
that
seal
better
and
reduce
the
amount
of
air
in
the
bottle.
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As
León’s
business
bloomed,
his
health
diminished.
And
in
1993,
realizing
his
death
was
imminent,
he
left
Spain
and
sailed
alone
on
his
boat
until
his
death
in
1995.
The
winery
went
into
the
care
of
Rovira.
Rovira
is
now
the
sole
Oenologist
working
for
the
Jean
León
Winery,
which
continues
to
produce
award-winning
wines.
And
though
he
implements
the
old
methods
instituted
decades
ago
by
he
and
León
together,
he
is
constantly
on
the
lookout
for
new
technological
advancements
to
make
the
best
wines
possible.
Rivora’s
extraordinary
innovation
makes
the
Jean
León
Winery
one
to
watch
in
the
future.
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Copyright
2005, Oenologist.com; MBMA, Inc.
- All Rights Reserved
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