A Host Of Friends

Recently I got to hang out with my dear friends Juan and Nola Palomar of Veleta Wines.  I met them 7 or 8 years ago(?) when I was across the river slinging juice, when they introduced their wines from the Spanish region of Granada to me for the first time.  Juan and Nola, coincidentally live part of the year in Dayton, Ohio, my hometown, and are just minutes away from my mom’s house.

This occasion was something we’ve talked about for years, and finally the moment arose and we broke bread at a great place downtown called Prime (if you haven’t been yet, go!  The place rocks!).  Yet this wasn’t so much an evening of work-related stuff; this was just three fellow Daytonians hanging out over great food, great conversation and great wine.

One of the coolest parts of the evening though, re: business, was Juan and Nola showing off two wines they had stumbled upon in their warehouse:  the Veleta Chardonnay 2012 and the Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.  The Chardonnay 2012 was something they don’t sell here in the U.S. – it’s just their personal stash – which is a shame, because for clocking in under $20, it’s a helluva deal.  It’s clean and bright, with notes of stone fruit and hints of lemon and tangerine, with the slightest notes of pink grapefruit, mineral and white flowers.  Looking up the tech notes and it says 10% Viognier in there, yet to me, it was all about the Chardonnay.  I am not much of a Chardonnay fan but this was really good.  The Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 was something of a revelation though.  I always remembered there reds to age well, and in fact, in desperate need of time in the bottle before opening.  The benefit of patience is dramatically displayed here.  I’d actually tasted a few higher end Cabs (that will remain nameless) earlier in the week ($50-$80 price points) and this little beauty blew them out of the water.  Stunning notes of cherries and black fruit in the nose, a tinge of cocoa, a hint of espresso, a dash of cigar box, with impressive grip and well-balanced acidity.  Boldly I would say, this could very well be a “desert island disk” wine, because I wouldn’t mind drinking this and only this if marooned a la Gilligan and the Skipper.

No pretense.  No glad-handing.  This was just friends brought together by wine, but friends all the same.  I love these two people and it’s really a privilege to sell their wines, not because they are my friends, but because the wines are damn good, they overdeliver, and I truly believe in them.  The fact they are my friends is just icing on the cake.

The unfortunate thing about these wines are that they aren’t available for me to bring into the store.  But that isn’t what this post is about.  This post is about experience.  And at the very least, it’s about wines AND friends you can really believe in.   Something I think this world could use a lot more of, wouldn’t you agree?