Tag Archives: Mother’s Day wine

Mother’s Day wine 2023

Mother and child
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom

Four suggestions — white, sparkling, rose, and red — for Mother’s Day 2023

The blog’s 17th annual Mother’s Day wine post makes me smile — and how often does that happen? The point is that wine is about the people around us, and not boasting about scores or collecting trophies. The blog’s wine gift guide is here.

These Mother’s Day wine suggestions should get you started:

• Pedroncelli Dry Rosé of Zinfandel 2022 ($17, sample, 13.9%): Not the $10 rose it once was, but this California pink remains one of my favorites. This vintage is classic — fruity (zinfandel’s dark berries, believe it or not), oh so fresh and crisp. Not Provencal, but not supposed to be.

• Bodegas Eidosela Neboa 2020 ($18, purchased, 13%):  Let it sit for 30 minutes, and this Spanish white becomes exquisite albarino — savory, salty, a bit of lime fruit, and even some minerality. Imported by Valkyrie Selections

• Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc NV ($20, sample, 12.5%): This South African sparkling is not for all tastes, and the price may put some people off. Having said that, it’s quality South African sauvignon blanc that has lots and lots of tiny bubbles. So almost grapefruity, but firmly a Champagne-style wine. Imported by Beck Family Estates

• Forty Ounces Red 2016 ($14/1-liter, purchased, 12%): No, there may not be a lot of this around, and yes, it’s an older vintage. But, somehow, this French red blend is worth drinking — berry fruit, soft tannins, and surprisingly balanced. Imported by Verity Wine Partners

Photo: “CL Society 408: Mother and child” by francisco_osorio is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2022
• Mother’s Day wine 2021
• Mother’s Day wine 2020
• Expensive wine 165: Roederer Estate Brut NV
• Wine of the week: Broadbent Gruner Veltliner 2021

Mother’s Day wine 2022

mother's day
“Yes, honey. We’ll buy some of the WC’s Mother’s Day wine suggestions.”

Four suggestions — white, sparkling, rose, and red — for Mother’s Day 2022

The blog’s 16th annual Mother’s Day wine post speaks to how far we’ve come in making it OK to buy cheap wine, despite all the obstacles over the years.  So, as always, the emphasis is on value and quality — and with the reminder that we should buy Mom something she will enjoy and not something we think she should drink.

These Mother’s Day wine suggestions should get you started:

• Calcu Rosé Reserva Especial 2021 ($13, sample, 12.5%): Much more going on with this Chilean pink (a blend of malbec and petit verdot) than it would seem. Crisp, tart, stony, and barely ripe berry fruit. Highly recommended. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Duquesa de Valladolid Verdejo 2020 ($10, purchased, 13.5%): Solid, professional Spanish white from the Rueda region. That means very bright lemon fruit, as well as very fresh and very crisp. What more can one ask for in $10 wine? Imported by Monsieur Touton Selections

• Paula Kornell Brut NV ($18, purchased, 12%): Quality California bubbly for less than $20 is almost unheard of, so the Kornell has gotten a lot of attention. Look for some sweet stone fruit, maybe some lemon, and lots and lots of bubbles.

• Castillo del Barón Monastrell 2019 ($9, purchased, 14.2%): I’ve been buying this Spanish red for several years, and it has never disappointed. It’s not too big and not too rough, as some can be, and it has not too noticeable tannins and just enough black fruit —  drink with a hearty weeknight dinner or Mother’s Day barbecue. Imported by Europvin

Photo: CarolinaJG, via MorgueFile

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2021
• Mother’s Day wine 2020
• Mother’s Day wine 2019
• Expensive wine 151: Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvee Brut
• Wine of the week: Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Petit 2019

Expensive wine 156: Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent 2018

Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent 2018
Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent 2018/$20-$29

This is Cru Beaujolais to please not only wine geeks, but Mom

Wine geeks love what’s called Cru Beaujoalis – more expensive and better quality red wine from the Beaujolais region of France, which otherwise produces oceans of ordinary $10 wine. In fact, there’s an old joke about young sommeliers and their favorite wine, and the punchline is “Cru Beaujolais.”

So what’s the Chateau des Jacques doing here? Hey, even wine geeks are allowed to be right every once in a while.

The Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent 2018 ($27, purchased, 13.5%) is a terrific example of why Cru Beaujolais is held in such high regard. It’s made with gamay, a simpler grape, but this wine is layered, deep, and interesting. It has many notes where supermarket Beaujolais has just one. Look for some floral aromas, as well as berry fruit (just barely ripe), maybe some black pepper, and a speck of acidity to balance it all. The tannins are pushed all the way to the back, with a long and almost gravelly finish.

And, in one of those ironies that I especially appreciate, the brand is owned by French Big Wine’s Louis Jadot. No, I don’t know what the wine geeks make of that.

Highly recommended. This is a red wine that is light enough for a Mother’s Day brunch (sausage and onion frittata, perhaps), but would also pair with smoked or roast chicken for a Mother’s Day afternoon picnic or barbecue.

Imported by Kobrand

Mother’s Day wine 2021

mother's day 2021
“Remember — buy me what you think I’ll like, and not what you think I should drink.”

Four suggestions — white, sparkling, rose, and red — for Mother’s Day 2021

The blog’s 15th annual Mother’s Day wine post reminds me of a couple of things, but mostly that I always need to write about wines that my mom will enjoy (and won’t have too much trouble finding in a store near her).

So, as always, the emphasis is on valuer and quality, with the reminder that we should buy Mom something she will enjoy and not something we think she should drink. These Mother’s Day wine suggestions should get you started:

• Balletto Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($20, sample, 13.1%): This is classic California sauvignon blanc, which isn’t easy to find any more. That means a wonderful aroma of grassiness with a hint of melon, lemon fruit but not particularly tart, and a long, minerally finish. Highly recommended (and even worth doing a Zoom tasting to sample).

• Ackerman Marquis de la Tour Brut NV ($10, purchased, 11%): Terrific cheap bubbly from France’s Loire that’s made with chardonnay, chenin blanc, and – believe it or not – ugni blanc. It’s soft, a little sweet (honey?), with lemon and apple fruit. But the bubbles are tight, even though it’s charmat. Very nicely done. Imported by Palm Bay International

• Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare 2020 ($15, sample, 13.5%): This California pink, always one of my favorites, was a little less Doonish last vintage. But this is as it should be: Stony, almost austere, with a hint of barely ripe strawberry fruit to remind you it’s rose, as well as a very long and very clean finish. Highly recommended.

• Tinto Negro Malbec 2019 ($10, sample, 13.5%): I’ve probably tasted more Argentine malbecs during the pandemic than the past couple of years combined; the quality, as with this wine, has been much better than expected. It’s a bright, fresh and not too jammy red, with lots of blueberry fruit. But it’s not overdone and there is plenty of acidity and even a little spice to back it up. Very professional rendering of this style. Imported by Vineyard Brands

Photo: Thiago Cerqueira, via Unsplash

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2020
• Mother’s Day wine 2019
• Mother’s Day wine 2018
• Expensive wine 140: WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay 2018
• Wine of the week: Garofoli Macrina 2019

Mother's Day wine

Mother’s Day wine 2020

mother's day wine 2020Four suggestions — rose, white, red, and sparkling — for Mother’s Day wine 2020

Mother’s Day wine 2020: This year.s version, the 14th annual, finds us in a different place than ever before. But the premise hasn’t  changed — We’re looking for value and quality, and we want to buy Mom something she will enjoy and not something we think she should drink.

These Mother’s Day wine 2020 suggestions should get you started:

• La Playa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($9, purchased, 13%): Supermarket Chilean white  sauvignon blanc at a fair price (lots of citrus and not much else); given how inconsistent these wines have become it offers value. Imported by Cabernet Corporation

• CVNE Via Real Rosado 2019 ($12, sample, 12.5%): The white viura grape, part of the blend for this Spanish pink from a top producer,  adds a little lemon something or other to the tempranillo’s cherry fruit. It’s both welcome and interesting and a well-made wine. Highly recommended. Imported by Arano LLC

• F. B. Schönleber Riesling Extra Brut 2013 ($22, sample, 13%): German sparkling isn’t common in the U.S., and this bubbly makes me wish that wasn’t the case. It’s a delicious, dry and minerally sparkling that exceeded all expectations. Highly recommended. Imported by Angels’ Share Wine Imports

• Masseria Li Veli Primonero 2017 ($12, purchased, 13.5%): This Italian red, made with the negroamaro grape, has earth, dark black fruit and very Italian in structure and acidity. Fire up the social distancing barbecue. Imported by Li Veli USA

Photo:“Contest18A Mother” by FolsomNatural is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2019
• Mother’s Day wine 2018
• Mother’s Day wine 2017
• Wine of the week: MAN Chenin Blanc 2018

Expensive wine 120: Jean et Sébastien Dauvissat Chablis Saint-Pierre 2017

Dauvissat ChablisThe Dauvissat Chablis is chardonnay that shows why that French region makes such terrific white wine

There are very few values left in high-end French wine (to say nothing of not-so-high-end French wine). But you can still find value from Chablis in Burgundy, like the Dauvissat Chablis.

Yes, $27 seems like a lot to pay for value. But the Dauvissat Chablis ($27, purchased, 12%) is the kind of wine that offers more than you expect. Chablis is chardonnay, but chardonnay usually made with little or no oak. Hence, it’s not only much different from New World chardonnay, much of which is dripping with oak, but it’s also much different from other white Burgundies. That means a steely, very mineral quality, with almost no vanilla or toastiness, but a wine that can still be rich and full.

In other words, chardonnay for those of us who appreciate fruit and less winemaking. The Dauvissat Chablis is just that: Fresh and crisp, with lots of tart green apple fruit, lots of that wonderful Chablis minerality, and nary oak anywhere. The wine combines Chablis tradition, so that it’s clean and almost stony, but with more New World-style and less subtle fruit. It’s an impressive combination, and especially at a price that usually buys very ordinary white Burgundy or even less impressive Napa chardonnay.

Highly recommended, and should age for at least a decade. This is just the bottle for anyone who wants a white wine for Mother’s Day that is more than buttery and caramel.

Imported by Rosenthal Wine Merchants

 

Mother's Day wine

Mother’s Day wine 2019

Mother's Day wine 2019Four suggestions — red, white, rose, and sparkling — for Mother’s Day wine 2019

Mother’s Day wine 2019: The 13th time we’ve toasted Mom on the blog, and always with an eye toward value and quality. Isn’t that how Mom raised you? Our Mother’s Day wine gift giving guidelines are here; the idea is to please your mother and not yourself. Because it is Mother’s Day, isn’t it?

These Mother’s Day wine 2019 suggestions should get you started:

• Birichino Malvasia Bianca 2015 ($17, purchased, 13%): This California white is wine geek worthy, that doesn’t mean others won’t like it. It offers all the character the malavasia bianca grape can give (floral, honey, a little orange); that it still has structure and acidity after more than four years is amazing.

• Dellara Cava Brut NV ($7, purchased, 11.5%): This Spanish bubbly has the requisite cava character — tart lemon and green apple fruit and a bit of minerality. It’s a step up from what Freixenet has become, and at the same price. Imported by Mack & Schuhle

• Ferraton Père & Fils Samorëns Rose 2018 ($13, sample, 13.5%): This French pink is consistent — a little heavier than Provence rose and more red Rhone in style (cherry instead of berry fruit). But it’s also consistently well made. Imported by Sera Imports

• Stephane Aviron Fleurie Domaine De La Madriere Vieilles Vignes 2014 ($22, purchased, 13%): Delicious, well-made and eye opening red from Beaujolais in France. It’s more earthy  and almost steely, compared to the softer red fruit of similar wines. Highly recommended.  Imported by Frederick Wildman & Sons

Photo courtesy of Gifted Prints, using a Creative Commons license

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2018
• Mother’s Day wine 2017
• Mother’s Day wine 2016
• Wine of the week: Henry Fessy Gamay Noir 2016