Not all levels of the wine industry are focused on saving the planet. It seems some of us drink to forget that the world as we know it is in serious peril. So it’s very refreshing to see St. Finesse, a powerful force in Taiwan wine, dedicating a portfolio-wide event to environmental awareness. Check out this link for more information about EARTH DAY: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2023/

The St. Finesse portfolio is massive, and every producer they represent has a profoundly complex history. Great stories surrounded us yesterday, and the wines to go with them, but here I’ll focus on just two, Jean Leon and Bellingham.

Naseem and I visited Jean Leon some years ago and discovered this museum piece of wine history from the 1980s. The winery was founded by the legendary Maitre d’ to Hollywood, Jean Leon, who embodied the American Dream. He had left his family and country, Spain, to avoid military service under the fascist dictator, Franco, and through wit, perseverence and luck had found his way to Hollywood, where he made friends with the likes of Marilyn Munro and James Dean, to name a few. With Dean he established La Scala, which quickly became the most famous restaurant in Los Angeles. Having made a fortune in the US, he returned to Catalonia and bought 80ha of vines in the heart of Penedes. He promptly uprooted the traditional varieties and became the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Spain. The story goes on about his love of sailing and the new sophistication he brought to wine culture in Spain. I’ve given here a much foreshortened account of Jean Leon’s amazing life. He was a man who re-invented himself many times, and his wines are still remarkable.

St Finesse carries 5 wines from the Jean Leon range, starting with 2 chardonnays, then a merlot and two cabernet sauvignons. The entry-level chardonnay is named 3055, after Leon’s taxi-license number from his early days driving cab in New York City. The top of the range is a Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignan, the flagship offering, and it’s named La Scala after his famous restaurant in Hollywood. This wine’s oak is gentle, so as not to interfere with aromas of ripe cherry, black currant and some garrigue (though they must call it something else in Spain). The mouth is concentrated, with dark fruit and grainy tannin, toasty notes, and a substantial finish. It is a magnificent wine, and like the winery, it represents the rebirth of Penedes after decades of decay.

Josep Plana (not related to the Torres wine Mas la Plana) was on hand to represent the Torres Family, who took over Jean Leon 30 years ago already… He spoke eloquently about the historical significance of Jean Leon, and he was ably translated by Ting CHUANG from Finesse, but I discovered this reference on my own: Jean Leon labels are allusions to cinema history in the last century, a history in which Jean Leon was an inside player. The labels represent split-screen cinema, a technique first made popular by Grand Prix and later by (the first) Thomas Crowne Affair, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Even the label font is almost exactly like those used in The Thomas Crowne Affair.

At the other end of the room was a table of wines from Bellingham, a South African producer whose vineyards have produced grapes for more than 400 years, making them the oldest vineyards on the Cape. Their classic offering, and at a rock-bottom price, is Pear Tree Chenin Blanc. Enjoying this fresh and succulent beauty, it’s easy to understand how these wines nearly put the Loire out of business in the US, so cheap and cheerful, why would you drink anything else? The other standout in the Bellingham lineup was the SMV (Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier), a most interesting twist on the Northern Rhone solution of Syrah and Viognier. The Mourvedre adds its earthiness and tannin, making perfect for confusing your friends who claim to be expert in blind tasting.

St Finesse put up 9 more tables of their portfolio, and every one of the producers has a terrific, easy to journalize story. It was an event worthy of Earth Day.