While we do our best to celebrate the ones we love all year round, Mother’s Day remains a most treasured occasion to show appreciation to the maternal figures in our lives – our moms, our grandmothers, our stepmothers, our aunts, our cousins, our siblings, our guardians, our neighbors, our friends. Celebrating this holiday will be looking different this year for most of us, but near or far, now more than ever we appreciate the love and support that the caregivers in our lives share with us, and all of the hats that they wear in our homes, in our communities, and in all that they do.
We salute these sources of care and encouragement in our lives. We are inspired by all that they do, and today shine a spotlight on some of our producers that in addition to being recognized all over the world as incredible creators of wine, sake and spirits, are also known as moms. These selections are a few of our favorite highlights of the work that they do.
CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE BRUT DOCG, BIANCAVIGNA
Founded in 2004, BiancaVigna is run by the brother and sister team of Elena and Enrico Moschetta. The 30 hectare property is situated in Conegliano Valdobbiadene, in the heart of the Prosecco region, which was recently nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In each Prosecco, Elena tries to bring forth the beauty and true representation of the Glera grape, using tradition in the vineyards and modern technology in the cellar to bring harmony to every bubble.
- 100% Glera
- 150-200 meters above sea level
- Grown in clay/limestone soils
- Secondary fermentation occurs in autoclave over a minimum of 70 days
Sarah Larue runs this Champagne estate that dates to 1952, when Gilbert Gruet founded Champagne Gruet in the Val de Marne. In 1987, Gilbert decided to try something completely new and started a winery in America – where he eventually founded Gruet Winery in New Mexico.
His Champagne roots never left him though, and in 1993 he returned to the Val de Marne to make wine under the Paul Laurent name. Since then, Sarah has been leading the charge in continuing the domaine’s legacy of making balanced, mineral-driven Champagne
- 62% Pinot Noir, 28% Meunier, 10% Chardonnay
- Made from vines in the village of Bethon, just south of Epernay
- Fermented and aged in stainless steel
- Aged on the lees for 21 months
Laetitia Billiot took over her family’s estate in 2015. Farming just five hectares all in the Grand Cru of Ambonnay, Laetitia’s wines emphasize the bright, sunny character of this great village while maintaining depth and elegance.
Her rosé is one of our favorites, always red-fruited and plush with aromas of strawberries, a wonderful wine to pair with food or to drink on its own, this is about pure pleasure.
- 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
- All from Ambonnay Grand Cru
- Mostly from the 2016 vintage, with 20% 2015, 20% 2014 and 10% still Pinot Noir from 2016
- No malolactic to preserve the fresh, bright fruit character
- Raised in stainless steel, with the red wine aged in neutral oak
- 36 months on the lees
Heidi Schröck took over this small family domaine in Rust in 1983 and in her time has cemented it as one of the top wineries in Burgenland. Joined now by her twin sons as of 2019, the Schröck family is producing truly unique wines from both Austrian classics and international varieties.
The Rosé Biscaya is a wild blend of nine different grapes. Heidi calls it her “tour of European vineyards” as the blend includes grapes indigenous to Northern Italy, Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, and, of course, Burgenland.
A much deeper and more structured style of rosé, named “Biscaya” for its resemblance to the color of lobster bisque, it is a rosé for those who want a bit more power and intensity than a traditional provençal style. Savory, spicy, and bursting with berries, wildflowers, and herbs.
- Blend of Lagrein, Teroldego, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch
- From the Ried Ruster vineyard
- Soil is loamy sand with grey quartz and schist
- Fermented in acacia, oak, and stainless steel; racked, blended and left on the lees for 4 months
LINK TO HEIDI’S VIDEO ON MOTHER’S DAY ROSÉ!
SCHLOSSGUT DIEL, ROSÉ DE DEIL
In 2006, after studying winemaking at Geisenheim (the top enology school in Germany) and staging at top estates around the world, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Caroline Diel returned home to the family Domaine in Burg Layen to take over the estate.
As of 2012, she is the sole proprietor and winemaker of Schlossgut Diel in the Nahe. While Caroline produces stunning Rieslings, her Rosé de Diel is a cult favorite with expressive aromas of wild strawberry and raspberry, a spicy finish, and enduring elegance.
- 100% Spätburgunder
- From the Dorsheim and Burg Layen vineyards
- Slate, gravel and loam soils
- Stainless steel with a portion in aged neutral oak, a mix of large fuder.
Isabelle Garrault is the 10th generation of her family to grow grapes and make wine in Sancerre. Based in the small hamlet of Verdigny, their parcels are all found in the picturesque hillside slopes that allow the grapes to soak up the shy Loire Valley sun.
The wines from these beautiful vineyards have the laser-intense minerality that is getting harder and harder to find in Sancerre. It is farmers like Isabelle who simply continue to make wine in the traditional way that reminds us why we fell in love with this hilly region to begin with.
- From vines in the village of Verdigny
- 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- 40+-year-old vines
- Grown on terres blanches and caillotes
- Indigenous yeast
- Fermented and aged in tank
Domaine Pinson is one of the oldest estates in Chablis, with records showing the family in the region since 1640. The domaine today is run by the dynamic Charlène Pinson, who in recent years has been recognized as one of the top growers in this historic village. It’s easy to see why, as this Petit Chablis shimmers with soaring minerality and vivacity, making it a perfect and refreshing Chardonnay for all times of the year.
- 35+-year-old vines
- 100% Chardonnay
- Eastern exposure
- From vines above Grand Cru Les Clos
- Very rocky Portlandian terroir
- Indigenous yeast
- Fermented and aged in tank
While Caroline Diel’s Grosses Gewachs wines are coveted by collectors all over, she still puts the same intention and focus on her Kabinetts. Sourced from Johannisberg and Doresheim, the wine is spontaneously fermented in stainless steel, showing a thirst-quenching balance of fruit and acidity.
Caroline likes wines that she calls “drinky” and the Diel Kabinett is exactly that.
- 100% Riesling
- Slate, gravel, & sandstone soil
- Spontaneously fermented and matured in stainless steel
As ‘minas‘ is colloquial Argentine slang which affectionately refers to females of any age, Lucía Romero and Heather Willens thought it to be fitting name for a project that they created to symbolize the sun-soaked desert climate that Lucía was raised in.
The Argentine ‘mina’ Lucía is the director of her family winery located in that area and Heather Willens is the Californian ‘mina’ who has worked for many years in the wine industry.
- 100% Malbec from young vines in Cafayate
- High elevation vineyards at 1,700 meters elevation
- Hand-harvested
- Aged in a combination of stainless steel and neutral oak
Milenrama is a value-oriented project in Rioja from up-and-coming female winemaker Ruth de Andrés. Her varied C.V. boasts chemistry and oenology degrees in three different countries, experience at top firms in Bordeaux and the Penedès, sommelier-course teaching, and, most recently, winemaking for export markets.
The goal? Perhaps her own words are best– vinos buenos, bonitos y baratos — good, honest, inexpensive everyday wine. The Milenrama Rioja range features a juicy, clean, unoaked joven Tempranillo for bistros and bottle shops alike, as well as crianza and reserva bottlings which are standout values at their respective price points.
- 100 % Tempranillo
- 40-year-old vines
- Grown on gravel over clay-limestone
- 300-500m above sea level
- Harvested by hand.
- 15-day fermentation in concrete tanks
- 18 months aging in American and French oak barrels
Le Potazzine was the nickname proprietor Gigliola Gianetti’s mother had given her two delightful granddaughters, local dialect for a songbird noted for its beauty and happiness.
The wines were always laser pure expressions of Montalcino terroir with an appealing elegance, and they remain so today. Both “Potazzine” now work with their mother at the estate, guaranteeing the continuity of a future generation.
- 100% Sangiovese
- Organically farmed
- From two vineyards in Montalcino: ‘Le Prata’ close to the town of Montalcino with a southeastern exposure at 500 meters above sea level; and ‘La Torre’ in Sant’Angelo in Colle with a southwestern exposure at 420 meters above sea level
- Fermentation and maceration takes place over 30 days
- Matures for 10 months in large oak cask before finishing in the bottle for 6 months prior to release.
The Borgogno estate is perched atop the hill of Cannubi, the grandest of grand cru Barolo, held in the same esteem as any Grand Cru Pinot Noir vineyard in Burgundy. The majesty of Cannubi lies in its lifted, floral aromatics with a palate characterized by elegance and approachable structure. The estate has been in the family since its beginning, with fourth-generation sisters Anna and Paola Borgogno now handing the reins over to daughters Emanuela and Federica.
- 100% Barbera
- Sandy marl and clay soils of Castellinaldo (Roero), Vergne (Barolo) and Diano d’Alba
- 40+-year-old vines
- Vines grown at 250 meters with a southern exposure
- Aged in 2500-5000 liter Slavonian oak barrels
While running Ashbrook Estate remains a multi-generational affair for the Devitt family, in recent years winemaking duties have transitioned to founder Brian Devitt’s daughter, Catherine.
The estate was one of the first wineries established in Margaret River’s now-famous Wilyabrup subregion back in 1975 and she continues her father’s legacy of making expressive, terroir-driven wines that embrace coastal climate of this area of Western Australia.
- 100% Shiraz from estate vineyard sites
- Hand-picked
- Aged 24 months in French oak and another 18 months in bottle
The Fog Monster Chenin Blanc is, as Andrea Mullineux puts it, “an inside-out skin fermentation.” Grapes for the 2013 Chenin Blanc were sourced from the own-rooted, dry-farmed Story Vineyard planted in the decomposed granite soils of the Sierra Foothills in Amador County.
Fruit is transferred whole cluster into T-Bins with a blanket of dry ice and then covered and given a 2 week carbonic maceration. After 2 weeks the bins were foot trodden and then pressed to concrete egg tanks to complete fermentation and then matured in those same eggs for 12 months. 11.8% ABV. 100 cases produced.
