No wine on Boqueria’s list has a story behind it like that of the Jean León Cabernet Reserva. The namesake wine of a Spanish immigrant to the United States, the Jean León Cabernet is the result of one man’s American dream.
When nineteen year-old Cerrefino Carrión, a native of the northern Spanish city of Santander, arrived to New York as an stowaway on a merchant vessel in 1937, few could have predicted the storied success that awaited him in his new found home.
Jean León in Central Park upon arriving in New York. The jacket was borrowed to make a good impression in the photo he would send home to his parents.
Much like many immigrants today, Cerrefino began his career in the U.S. in restaurants. He got a job clearing dirty dishes for four dollars a day at a club in Rockafeller Center. He didn’t have papers and eventually the fear of being picked up by the police and sent back to Spain forced him to move west to Los Angeles. The glamour of Hollywood called to the young Carrión and he saw opportunity there that he had never dared to imagine. When the Korean War offered him an opportunity to legalize his status he jumped at the offer to volunteer. Two years later, when he was granted citizenship, he assumed the name that would carry him to success, Jean León.
Jean León’s “big break” arrived in the form of a server position at Villa Capri, a decadent Hollywood restaurant and celebrity watering hole owned by Frank Sinatra and Joe di Maggio. There, León befriended the hottest actors of the day, among them a young James Dean. Dean’s later success allowed the pair to pursue a common dream of opening a restaurant. They chose the name “La Scala” and designed it to be the most luxurious restaurant of its time. Dean would never see the restaurant open. The young actor’s tragic death devastated Jean León who had come to count Dean as one of his closest friends. León chose to move forward with their project. He took out a $3500 loan and opened La Scala in Beverly Hills.
The restaurant quickly became a hang out for Hollywood’s elite, and over time evolved into a landmark of legendary proportion. Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, and Humphrey Bogart were just a few of the celebrated regulars that frequented La Scala.
At La Scala: Tony Franciosa, Zsa Zsa Gabor and friends. Standing: Jean León
On the night before her death, Marilyn Monroe called Jean León for a delivery. When León arrived to her house with dinner she had company. The next morning Monroe was found dead, and the attention of the entire world focused on the details of her final fateful night. León would never reveal who he saw at her house that evening, stating that doing so would have grave political consequences. He took the secret to the grave.
León befriended five U.S. presidents. He was with Richard Nixon the night he lost his first presidential bid. He was friendly with J.F.K. with whom he would often discuss Spanish politics. He recalled Ford as being the friendliest of the bunch and got along well with Reagan because they shared a love for fine wines.
Jean León in the wine cave at La Scala
That love for fine wines would lead León back to Spain where he sought out the perfect terroir to produce his namesake wine. The vineyards he settled upon, a beautiful estate in the Catalan wine-growing region of Penedès bear his name to this day. A true pioneer, León was the first plant the noble varietals in Spain. He bought Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot from some of the greatest houses of Bordeaux and planted them on the rolling hills of his Catalan vineyards.
From the Jean León vineyard and winery in heart of the Penedés region
His world-class wines soon garnered international attention. Ronald Regan even served the Jean Leon Cabernet at his inauguration in 1981. Before passing away of cancer in 1996, Jean León sold his winery to the Torres family. They have made painstaking efforts to preserve León’s vision, and the wine speaks to this. Lush with dark fruit and herbal aromas, the elegant 2003 Jean León Cabernet Reserva delivers on León’s vision. In an industry built on the hard work and aspirations of a largely immigrant workforce, one can’t help but recall León’s fascinating story every time a bottle is uncorked.
