Los Angeles, like many major cities, is a place of instant gratification. You don’t usually have to look too hard to find something rare or even unique. From vintage clothing to obscure records, classic cars to Hollywood memorabilia, the city itself is like a museum in rapid motion. But if it’s a rare wine you’re craving, the savvy Angeleno recognizes they’ll need to do a bit of driving. Because one of the city’s most knowledgeable purveyors of rare wines has set up shop in Glendora. The masterful sommelier has hand-selected varieties you won’t find at your local Ralphs… and, if you have a moment, he’s happy to tell you all about them. Because at Jaunenito Pavon’s CocoVino wine shop, knowledge is part of the package.
A Selection Extending Beyond Rare Wines
Pavon credits CocoVino’s rapid rise to their pedigree. “We’re sommeliers,” he expounds. “We teach; we source wines that aren’t available in grocery stores.” And he believes that Glendorians (and those beyond the village) can find plenty to love in the small batch varieties on offer. Several of the rarities on display are made possible through Pavon’s unique relationships built over time with artisan wineries and winemakers across the world.
And while the meticulously chosen wine selection gracing CocoVino’s shelves is responsible for putting the shop on the map for connoisseurs, it’s not even close to its only attraction. When guests visit CocoVino, they have a veritable global marketplace of exotic chocolates, sommelier-approved wines, world class cheeses, and even original art awaiting them. Pavon hand selects pieces from local artists that he feels complement the eccentric yet refined aesthetic of the shop. Feasibly, you could leave CocoVino with a bottle of txakolina, bar of dark chocolate, wedge of Pecorino Toscano, and an oil painting under your arm. Glendorians are doing it everyday.
CocoVino’s Deep Roots
But the value of having an easily accessible sommelier can’t be overstated. Perhaps no one recognizes this better than Pavon himself, and he leans into that gilded level of accommodation. “They can call me, email me,” he points out. “Even, in fact, if they are elsewhere considering a bottle of wine, they have the autonomy to call me and get a point of reference on that bottle of wine. I’ll be more than willing to give it to them as I have in the past.”
Statements like this betray that CocoVino is more than a business for Pavon. It’s a shared passion with the wine as purveyor. And the bountiful grapes growing along the vines of that passion have deep roots.Pavon grew up far away from Glendora’s gorgeous foothills in the pastoral farmland of Oklahoma. In such a remote region, Pavon found company in farmers who espoused a great affinity for nature and the earth. And some of those farmers also happened to be winemakers.
Looking back, the accomplished sommelier describes his meeting with these artisan winemakers as a “harmonious convergence.” And the winemakers were all too happy to share their philosophies and techniques with the curious young Oklahoman. Pavon would precociously wile away the hours in the farmers’ company, learning all there was to know about soil types, nurturing vines, and the myriad aspects of winemaking.
Before the Wine Shop
By the mid-2000s, Oklahoma had long faded away in Pavon’s rearview mirror, but the tales and teachings of those farmers hadn’t. And his obsession with obscure wines had only grown. At the time, he was developing a television show based on an early concept for CocoVino. However, the show was predicated on a brick-and-mortar shop that wouldn’t materialize… at least not until nearly two decades later.
In the interim, Pavon balanced his passions with paying the bills. His deep knowledge of wines kept him in demand in all manner of publications, including contributions to Wine 365 and a stint as a contributing editor to Patterson’s Beverage Journal. His eloquent, informed style also found him working beyond the generous parameters of wine, writing locally for the San Gabriel Valley Examiner and even finding work as a jazz critic and book reviewer. But amidst these serpentine avenues, some concept of CocoVino was always just at the periphery.
The Communal Terroir of Glendora
CocoVino as it exists today came into focus for Pavon in 2020. Amidst the eerie desolation of the pandemic, the sommelier found himself wandering an empty street. “Not a car, not a person, not an animal in sight,” he explains. “I walked up and down the street and became immersed in it, not really knowing its history.” At this moment, Pavon recognized that empty streets hold the most potential. “I just felt something really magical about the street.”
Now, after three years of proudly serving Glendora, Pavon recognizes that his store’s relation to the town is akin to a wine’s terroir; the numerous factors of a certain location that go into distinguishing a particular wine. Climate, elevation, soil quality… all feed directly into a wine’s profile. And Pavon admits that CocoVino wouldn’t be quite the same without its Glendora location.
“Our partners here in the village are extremely network-oriented,” he elaborates. “I’ve done ten to 15 events with different business partners on Glendora Avenue. This is a family on this street, and the businesses work together for the greater good of everybody having prosperity.” He cites this all-for-one philosophy as a direct result of Glendora’s rare brand of communalism. And while Pavon has no nostalgic affinity for it, he’s acquired the taste.
“A lot of the sentimentality on the street with the high school parades and these things I’d never experienced as a child growing up,” he admits. “I don’t personally have any nostalgia with that, but I have this yearning that ‘Wow, how cool would it have been had I grown up in an environment like this?’” But just as CocoVino’s place is in Glendora, Pavon would not have been the discerning sommelier he became had he not grown up a curious child in the middle of Oklahoma.
The Ever-Elusive Favorite Rare Wine
Having an expert at their disposal, Glendorians are wont to ask Pavon about his personal favorites. But you’d have just as much luck asking a record collector to name their favorite band or a film buff to choose their favorite movie. “I am one of those types of sommeliers or, in fact, just a regular consumer who loves the adventure of trying new wines,” he confesses.
But for Pavon, it’s not enough to simply experience. He needs to know. “Each time I try a new wine, I try to immerse myself in the evolution of that wine and, by extension, the winemaker or the owner of the chateau or the winery and finding out what their story is. And each one of those opportunities grows a little bit of passion and a little bit of love.”
The Sommelier’s Suggestions
Though Pavon is reluctant to restrict his palate to a single bottle, he’s all too happy to make suggestions. “I do have some regions that I single out,” he continues. “The northern Rhône valley; particularly the Côte Rôtie. Bordeaux is one of my favorite regions. Cheval Blanc is probably my favorite wine. I’m a big believer in Cabernet Franc. And, of course, I love merlot also.”
When prodded to choose his most unusual wine, he ponders for a moment. “Although it’s not unique in my world, it’s unique in this world, if you will,” he prefaces. “I have wine from Mexico. Not just wine from Valle de Guadalupe (the new up-and coming area in Mexico). Some of the older places in Mexico, such as Central Mexico. Like, for instance, Guanajuato: incredible wineries coming out of Guanajuato. And also Basque Country. I’ve got a txakolina which is a fantastic, beautiful white wine which is the number one white wine in Basque Country.”
So what does that say about California’s celebrated vineyards? “I will say that I’ve got a fantastic wine called Hollywood Classic, and this vineyard sits on the hill right below the Hollywood sign. Many people don’t realize that Los Angeles was the largest wine producing area in California long before Napa Valley, long before Santa Barbara, long before Sonoma. This Vineyard has stood the test of time.”
The CocoVino Wine Club
With so many wines and so little time, CocoVino came up with a concept to help budding aficionados take full advantage of Pavon’s sommelier sensibilities. The CocoVino Wine Club offers three reasonably priced tiers, providing members with two hand-selected bottles of wine per month, chosen by Pavon himself.
The sommelier envisioned a sense of exclusivity when formulating the program. Therefore, wine club members don’t just get two bottles a month they can’t find in their local grocery stores. On the first Wednesday of every month, the club wines are exclusively available to members. This gives them the first right to purchase more. The stock of these Wine Club selections doesn’t open up to general customers until the following day.
Aside from exclusivity, the CocoVino Wine Club also has its own inherent savings. Wines selected for inclusion go for about 30% off the prices you’ll see on the shelves. Wine Club members also enjoy 10% off whenever they visit CocoVino.
Knowledge Remains at the Heart of the CocoVino Experience
Pavon recognizes that wine can be intimidating, so he strives to meet his clients halfway with knowledge parsed to them at their convenience. “I wanted a Wine Club that had versatility,” he points out. “That offered different people different wines at their comfort level.” Members can even specify a preference for red or white wine. “Mostly everybody prefers red,” he admits as an aside.
As one can imagine, the CocoVino Wine Club is often the best way to enjoy a brush with the sommelier’s more exotic finds. “This past month, our Wine Club featured wines from the island of Cyprus,” Pavon shares. “Many of (the members) didn’t even know Cyprus produced wine, nevermind world class wine. But each one of these wines comes with tech sheets that have notes from the winemaker about the chateau and the soil and how it’s made.” With knowledge being so close to Pavon’s heart, he makes sure to share plenty of it with his Wine Club. “Each wine is wrapped with a pedigree sheet.”
Looking Beyond the Wine Shop
With such an esoteric selection, Pavon could likely rest on his laurels. But, as can be imagined for a brand that was originally conceived as a television show, CocoVino was always meant to be more than a wine shop. This is perhaps best evidenced in events that nurture that rare relationship between CocoVino and its Glendora community.
“We do a themed event called CocoVino After Dark Portfolio Tasting, and it is a quarterly tasting,” explains Pavon. “We feature about 40 wines. We always have a local jazz band perform, and we cater food.” The events are so popular, that the sommelier usually has at least 20 people on a waiting list hoping for last minute cancellations.
CocoVino After Dark Portfolio Tasting gives us a taste of what’s on the horizon for the Glendora wine shop. Pavon is currently in the process of opening up a wine bar at the location, having just secured the proper permits from the city in November. Along with expanding outdoor seating, Pavon is in the very early stages of planning a larger scale wine and jazz festival with an “underground” vibe.
It’s easy to conflate passion for ambition when Pavon discusses his plans for the future. But everything tends to return to Glendora, a community intrinsic to the CocoVino experience. So, don’t go looking for a Los Angeles location anytime soon. “Glendora has really reached out and made their feelings known about how much they appreciate me being here,” he reflects. “That means a lot to me.”
