Jean Leon Vinya Le Havre 2022

Jean Leon Vinya Le Havre comes from the D.O. Penedès in Catalonia, from the estate founded by Jean Leon, the Spaniard who stowed away from the French port of Le Havre and went on to run a celebrated Hollywood restaurant. This bottling is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, grown organically on the estate's vineyards inland from the Mediterranean, where altitude and limestone-rich soils temper the warm climate and preserve acidity and aromatic freshness. The cooling night air slows ripening and keeps the Cabernets structured and savoury rather than jammy. The wine ages for eighteen months in a mix of French and American oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the barrels softens the firm Cabernet tannins and layers in cedar, sweet spice and a toasty edge that frames the fruit. The colour is a deep ruby, and the nose offers redcurrant, cassis and plum with tobacco, dried herbs, vanilla and cocoa. The palate is medium to full-bodied and structured, with firm but polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury, cedary finish. Organic and vegan, it suits the cellar as well as the table. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanting ahead, with roast lamb or beef.