Jean Leon Merlot 2004

On the 4th of August, 1962, Jean León  delivered a meal from his notorious restaurant in Hollywood to the tragic actresses, Marilyn  Monroe's home. He was one of the last people to see her alive and never spoke about the night again. Marilyn was a regular diner at his restaurant, La Scala, where she apparently sat at the same table (No.14) every night. On that particular night she had placed a phone call directly to Jean complaining of feeling ill and asked him to bring a meal to her house in Brentwood. The next day she was found dead. Marilyn was among many famous guests who frequented his restaurant including actors such as Paul Newman, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando to name but a few.

 La Scala was the "in" restaurant to be seen in Beverly Hills and opened it's doors in 1953. Originally, the restaurant was a dream of León's and his best pal James Dean who was able to provide the financial backing through his successes in films such as "Rebel Without A Cause" and "East of Eden". Tragically Dean died before they were realised but León  was determined to fulfill them even despite of his heartbreak. He borrowed the money from a local bank and La Scala opened it's doors in 1956. Diners not only included legendary actors but also presidents such as Regan, Kennedy and Nixon however it was a far call from where León  had started.
 Originally from Santander in northern Spain, his childhood was tough but despite this he was determined to get on and stowed away on a boat to New York when he was just 19 years old. Jean (real name Ceferino Carrión) worked washing dishes bringing him from the East to the West coast where he eventually arrived in Hollywood where his luck changed! After a stint in the army which gave him citizenship he found work in Holywoods trendiest restaurant of the time, Villa Capri. He mingled with the stars here and struck up a friendship with Dean. It was around this time that he changed his name to Jean León as it was fashionable amongst the stars he hung out with to do so and presumably a lot easier to pronounce.

 In all his years in the restaurant business , Jean León (pictured far left)  still held out a dream to own his own vineyards and in 1964 this was fulfilled when he built his own winery in the Penedés region of his beloved Spain. He imported french varietals from some of the best Bordeaux chateaus such as Château Lafitte-Rothschild, La Lagune and Corton Charlemagne. He employed Jaume Rovira to work along side him and create elegant wines whilst staying away from the typicity of the region.

 This has been a wine that has been in Cellars for the last 3 years and while quite pricey at €24.99 still surprises me how it is not flying off the shelf. it has a beautiful cherry colour which disguises it's age well. on the nose it is full of cherry aromas, spice and evidence of oak ageing  . On the palate there is balckberries and cherries with refined tannins. Beautifully structured and smooth. T was away for a few days with her girlfriends so T was over for dinner in 66 and we really enjoyed this steak covered in ratatouille, baked potatoes and green salad.

Jean Leon spent his last 2 years on his boat, La Scala a Mare however Jaume Rovira still oversees all winemaking at the winery keeping up the standards that Leon built over his life. this is a truly unbelievable wine and behind it an incredible story of a man rising up and fulfiling his dreams.
Till Next time

Clare
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