Frank Leal has a motto one can find on some of the literature
you find in his winery. It reads
”
Fine wines
&
amp; good times.
”
Whenever the name Leal Vineyards is mentioned, this motto
becomes the essence of what Leal has worked hard to establish
– the experience of wine is best enjoyed under the auspices of
having a good time.
Frank Leal has a motto one can find on some of the literature you find in his winery. It reads “Fine wines & good times.” Whenever the name Leal Vineyards is mentioned, this motto becomes the essence of what Leal has worked hard to establish – the experience of wine is best enjoyed under the auspices of having a good time.
Born in San Jose to parents who emigrated from Portugal, Frank quickly established a reputation for being an indomitable entrepreneurial spirit when he started two businesses right out of high school.
In 1998, at the tender age of 28, Leal decided to sell his businesses. He planned to pursue his passion for good wine and bought 45 acres of land in the foothills of Hollister, the northern end of the Central Coast region and part of the San Benito County appellation. His vision was to build a vineyard and winery that would be inviting to both wine enthusiast and novice alike. If there was one thing he wanted to avoid, it was the perception of pretentiousness and snobbery. “Wine should be enjoyed by everyone. It should not be intimidating,” Leal said.
More than 40 acres of vines were hand-planted, most by Leal himself. The wines that are produced come from the syrah, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, malbec, Grenache and mourvèdre grapes grown on the property – under the warm sun of the day and mitigated by the cool coastal mornings and evenings.
The winemaking techniques used at Leal Vineyards are focused on making the wines rounded, soft and sexy – and could best be described as “freestyle.” Since the first estate wines were produced in 2001, a number of unsolicited awards have come Leal’s way, most notably being named one of the “20 Best New Wineries in the World” by Food & Wine Magazine back in late 2004 and “Best Local Winery” by The Wave Magazine in 2006. Not resting on his laurels, Leal continues to experiment with wine, having never made the same wine twice.
This freestyle form is exemplified with the varietals and proprietary blends that currently are being produced. “We like to let the varietals showcase themselves. When we make a cabernet sauvignon, we like to use 100 percent cabernet. When we make a syrah, we like to use 100 percent syrah, etc. To counter balance these flavor profiles, we also make some fun blends too,” Leal stated.
One blend is a red Meritage wine called Carnaval, the Portuguese spelling of the world-famous festival celebrated before Lent. During Carnaval, you are supposed to get out all your hedonism – and this is the wine that can do it! The wine is composed of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and malbec. It is rich, full-bodied with a bit of black raspberry and espresso.
The second Meritage is called Lavanda, which means lavender in Portuguese. Hundreds of lavender plants surround the winery’s event center, appropriately called “Lavanda” too. The wine is comprised of merlot (about 80 percent) cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Good tannins, spice, ripe red currant fruit and a whisper of floral aromas are wrapped wonderfully together.
Another blend at the winery is the Rhone-style “Threesome” – a risque take on the combination of three grapes – syrah, mourvèdre and Grenache. The 2004 vintage has nice notes of plum, blueberry, all-spice and pomegranate. Besides being wonderful on the palate, the whimsical name has also proven popular with many patrons!
A few years ago, Leal had a light-bulb moment, wanting to create a very special wine that could be considered the winery’s flagship offering. What was born out of this idea was an otherworldly estate cabernet sauvignon that is reverently called “Godsend.”
This very limited release wine is making noise in a lot of areas, particularly in wine shops and restaurants. “People are amazed that a luxurious cabernet sauvignon is coming out of the San Benito area. They just do not expect it,” said Chris Walker, tasting room and wine club manager.
The Godsend is crafted from the best cabernet grapes the estate has to offer, hand-picked and hand selected. It is aged 18 months in French oak and then is carefully racked into new American oak barrels for an additional 4-6 months of aging. The wine then receives extended bottle aging of up to a year. Dark chocolate, cassis, black cherry and coffee are the flavors that you find in this wonderfully structured wine that has a long smooth, velvety finish – it is so delicious that you’ll scream for another sip, just to be sure you had one in the first place – truly, a wine sent from the heavens.
Cheers!
