Jean Leon 3055 Rose 2017
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A rosé with a distinctive pale pink color characterized by immense freshness and elegance. The nose displays pronounced notes of strawberry, cherry and white peach, along with echoes of citrus blossom. The palate stands out for its remarkable freshness, balanced acidity and long finish.
After emigrating to America, Jean Leon found his way to Hollywood, where he opened one of the most famous restaurants there, La Scala. As a member of the Hollywood community, the patrons he attracted were the great names of the silver screen. Then, by chance, when he was on holiday on the Catalonian coast, he saw a vineyard for sale in the Penedes. He bought the land, took a crash course in enology back in California, and began to replant his property with high-quality French varieties. The first harvest came in 1969, and since then, the Jean Leon wines have been extremely successful. Current holdings include 395 acres in the Penedes, and all the wines are estate bottled.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
A superior source of white grapes for the production of Spain’s prized sparkling wine, Cava, the Penedes region is part of Catalunya and sits just south of Barcelona. Medio Penedès is the most productive source of the Cava grapes, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Penedes also grows Garnacha and Tempranillo (here called Ull de Llebre in Catalan), for high quality reds and rosès.