I realized I never posted this thread. Since Nola is posting on this BB, I thought it might be timely.
My wife and I attended a tasting at La Campagna (Westlake, Ohio) of Veleta Wines from Spain. The owners, Juan and Nola Palomar live part of the year in Dayton Ohio, and have become friends of ours. It has become an annual tradition for them to drive up to Cleveland and host a wine tasting. The Veleta wines are some of the best values on the planet. The winery is in Andalusia which makes it tough to charge a lot for the wines. That is the consumer’s gain. A shout out to Carmela at La Campagna for some insanely good food from this quasi-restaurant and to Mindy for getting this organized.
2007 Velata Vijiriega Viji
$9. This is an indigenous grape to that region of Spain. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is mineral driven with touch of quince and a bit of crushed shell. Very refreshing. This is a white that actually ages for at least a few years (a recent 06 was really complex). It is reminiscent of a Muscadet. 50+4+12+16+6=88
2007 Veleta Chardonnay
$9 The crowd seemed to like this more than I, but I am not usually a Chard guy. Deep golden in color. The nose has vanilla, oak and grapefruits. Full bodied. Some heat. Certainly compares well with Cal Chards at three times the cost, but truth be told, not a grape I drink a lot of. 50+3+12+15+5=85
2007 Veleta Tempranillo Rose
$8 I ranted about how great this wine was all last year. This is the same wine. The 08 just reached the US yesterday, but not in time for the tasting. I have a sole bottle left. I think these need to be consumed. It was very good, but the vibrancy it had last summer has started to fade. This bottle had nice strawberries and some watermelon. A touch of bitterness on the finish. Still very enjoyable, I look forward to the 08 though. 50+4+12+16+6=88
2006 Veleta Tempranillo
$14. If the Rose had started to fade, this had really started to develop. Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cherries, dark cherries and some oak. A mix of American and French oak, the French seems more pronounced, but it is starting to integrated. Medium tannins. This has cherries on the palate and some forest floor notes. It needs a couple more years in the cellar before peak. 50+4+12+17+7=90
2006 Velata Nolados
$15. A blend of Cabernet sauvignon, Cab Franc and Tempranillo. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, dark cherries, slight tobacco notes and dust. Full bodied. On the palate, there is tight layering but this need a few years in the cellar. Medium tannins. This is an insane value at $15, I have paid three time the price for similar wines. Long finish. 50+4+13+17+7=91
2006 Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon
$15. Juan decided not to release the highly structured 2005 yet, in favor of the 2006. I have had both and this is a good decision (although his accountant might disagree). Purple/ruby in color. This is classic “Napa” in profile. Cassis, oak, dust and a bit of cigar tobacco. Full bodied. Tannic. It could use a couple of hours in the decanter. Cassis and tobacco on the palate. Complex if tight. Long finish. This is also an amazing value. 50+4+12+18+7=91
NV Veleta Sparkling White
I don’t think this is commercially available. It is made, at least in part, from the Vijiriega grape. Basically a Cava except in name. It is bone dry. We used it with dessert. Not a bad pairing but I think with some salted nuts and cheese, perhaps as an aperitif, it would show even better. 50+3+12+16+6=87
I will be certainly be ordering a bunch of these and the new ones to hit the market. That is, if I can get the distributor to look thru their book. I know there are a lot of hard working distributors here. I hear them complaining how bad the market is. Bemoaning the fact that everyone is buying down now. Yet, they have these wines that cost between $8 and $15 and are varietally labeled, and my local retailer has to practically beg them to sell him the wine, is dumbfounding to me. I know it takes some gumption on the salesman’s part to taste unknown wines and represent them. Of course, it times like these that separate the good sales people from the bad. The positive, however, is the prices are kept low and eventually I can get the wines I want.