He travelled the world searching for lands, until he reached Catalonia. There he found the place he was seeking. The Jean Leon pago lies right at the heart of the Penedés region and was purchased in 1963 by grouping together several carefully selected pieces of land.

The property consists in total of 150 hectares, of which only 100 are arable and of these just 67 are currently under cultivation. The vineyards are situated on a slightly sloping, south-facing mountainside in the Penedés district, at a height of 280-310 m above sea level, sheltered from the northern winds and possible frosts in winter and spring.

The estate is divided into several sections of land, and only one wine is produced in each. These sections are known as the “Pagos”. Pago is a word that has several nuances of meaning:

Pago wines are produced from the grapes of a particular single vineyard. No grapes are sourced from outside the vineyard for these wines. They are “own production” only.

Pagos have 3 characteristics that make them unique:

1) The Land, 2) The Climate and 3) Man’s intervention in tending to the vines and understanding the land.

The pago concept is equivalent to the “Cru” in Bordeaux, to the “clos” or “climat” in Burgundy, to the “Vignetti in Italy, to the “Single vineyard” in California, and to the “Quinta” in Portugal.

The upper layer of the soils is composed of sand, limestone and clay, and stone. The chemical composition of these three elements is practically the same: silicates and carbonates. The difference lies in their size, as the limestone particles are of a smaller size followed by the finer particles of clay. Owing to this composition and the slope of the land, water does not collect during rainy periods, but rather drains off in the direction of the valley, so the plants are less vigorous.

Another factor to be taken into account is the soil acidity. Neutral acidity is 7, any acidity index lower than this means that lands are acidic. In the Penedés, and specifically on the Jean Leon estate, the soil acidity is neutral.

The subsoil is also largely responsible for the quality of Jean Leon grapes. In several geological studies, it can be seen that in parts of the estate, under the surface of these lands, at some 45-70 cm, there is a layer of compacted earth commonly known as “marga” (shale). The roots have great difficulty in extending and finding nutrients so there is significant horizontal development which in turn means greater competition for the nutrients and water between the vines.

A curious detail of the estate is a tract of land where the soils are Palaeozoic and aged over 100,000 years old. Prehistoric roots of trees and plants that have gradually filled with calcium carbonate can be observed here. The route and forms of the roots of these ancient plants can be seen as though they were a white drawing. This tract of land is one of the most spectacular in Catalonia.

Download Geological profile (PDF 371 Kb)