Top Ten for Mother's Day

I’m sure she’s told you many times – it’s the thought that counts. And mom is right, as always. So whether you’re considering a $15 bottle or a $150 bottle, she’ll appreciate the thought that went into selecting meaningful and delicious wines like our Top Ten for Mother’s Day below.

89  Familia Langa Real de Aragon Cava Brut NV

Penedès, Spain        

$15 BCLS

Yes, there are cheaper Cava out there, but for $15, this is a stellar superstar. AND the pretty label is sure to brighten your day long after the bubbles are gone. From the highlands of Catalunya, this crisp sparkler charms, from the first nutty, green apple whiff to the tart quince and lemon palate, though the persistent finish. Bright and friendly, but serious. And seriously good. (TR)

89  Bodegas y Viñedos Ilurce Rio Madre Rioja 2012

Rioja, Spain

$17 BCLS

You don’t see many 100 percent graciano bottles of Rioja because it can be over powering. In this case it’s mostly in check but it’s easy to see why this wine appeals to Mr. Parker. Round, soft and super ripe with blueberry notes, this red wine slides down easily helped along by a fragrant, floral nose and an oaky undercurrent. The vines, approximately 20 years old, are planted to chalky soils located at 600m above sea level. An attractive style you can serve with grilled lamb chops or pork. Good value. (AG)

90 Domaine Lathuiliere Pisse Vieille Brouilly 2012

Brouilly, Beaujolais, France

$17.50 BCLS

Not all Beaujolais is created equal. Cru Beaujolais is one of the darlings of the wine world, prized for its accessibility, freshness and food-friendliness as well as its graceful savoury structure. The 5th generation Gravallon family of winegrowers owns 15ha of vineyards in the heart of the Beaujolais region across six different appellation areas. This, in Brouilly, is a site of 50 year old vines, sustainably raised (Lutte Raisonée) and nurtured. Tense and precise from first sniff to fading memory, with strawberry stoniness, wild raspberry, black plum and dried herbs, and fragrant wildflowers. The concentrated and structured palate has bamboo strength tannins, firm yet yielding. Love the savoury structure of this serious, Cru Beaujo. #GoGamayGo. (TR)

90  Niepoort Dialogo Douro Branco 2011

Vinho do Douro, Spain

$20 BCLS

From high altitude vineyards in the Douro comes this blend of local grapes: codega do larinho, rabigato, gouveio, dona branca, viosinho and bical. 25 percent barrel fermentation and aging sur lie has resulted in a very textured, oily and stony white, with pear, citrus blossom, meadow herbs and crisp bright finish. Weighty while presenting light and citrus-lifted - very evocative, well done. (TR)

89  Famille Perrin Rasteau L'Andéol 2011

Rasteau, Southern Rhone, France

$22 BCLS

Rasteau L'Andéol comes off a two-hectare, bowl-shaped vineyard that boasts gravel over sand and clay. It faces south turning its back on the persistent Mistral wine. In 2011 the fruit jumps from the glass s preview to its wild red fruits and pepper flavours protected from all but a touch of wood thanks to only ten percent of the mix going into foudres. The red fruit is juicy and dense with the usual glossy textures mixed with chocolate and a hint of butcher’s block. A perfect foil to any rotisserie chicken dish. (AG-ST)

93  Stoneboat Verglas Botrytis Affected Icewine 2012

Okanagan Valley, BC

$25 for 375ml winery direct

Is this better than the last Verglas? Maybe, maybe not but this amazing mix of oranienstenier and pinot blanc is delicious with a capital D. So fresh on the attack with electric, edgy, orange and lime flavours streaked with apricot and honey. Juicy fun and as mentioned, delicious. It is dessert. Only 8.8 percent alcohol. (AG-ST)

89  Haywire Pink Bub Traditional Method Brut 2012

Okanagan Valley, BC

$25 winery direct, private wine shops

A cooler mountainside vineyard near Oliver was the source for the 51/49 pinot noir/chardonnay grapes in the cuvee, whole cluster pressed for complexity and cool fermented to preserve the crisp, shining fruit. At disgorging, a syrah dosage is added to give Pink Bub its lively hue. Light and bright strawberries and orange blossom aromas entice to a crisp palate of green apple, mandarin, Anjou pear and a welcome centre cushion of sage kissed strawberries. Citrus peel carries out the bright finish, well balanced with a touch of residual sugar. Pair with cheese, charcuterie, baguette and fresh berries. (TR)

90  Le Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvée Classique 2012

Okanagan Valley, BC

$50 winery direct, private wine shops

The dream season finally arrived in 2012 and the syrah fruit was a benefactor coming in to the winery pristine. Warm days pumped up the fruit and the cool desert nights brings the freshness pepper and acidity crucial to great syrah. We hate to say more Rhone than Okanagan but it’s a good description of the Cuvée Classique with its intense savoury/garrigue, spicy, bacon-scented nose and peppery floral, wild black fruit flavours. There’s plenty of tannin throughout but all in soft packets that will add a decade of life. No rush here but if you must try it served with grilled lamb. The wine is aged 19 months in wood. (AG-ST)

92  J. Christopher Pinot Noir Nuages Unfiltered 2011

Chehalem Mountain, Washington State, USA

$60 private wine shops

Musician winemaker Jay Christopher Somers named ‘Nuages,’ in tribute to the Django Rheinhart song one of his favourite gypsy jazz tunes. The fruit is comes off neighboring vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. In fact nuages is French for clouds that most days moderate the temperature in the vineyards extending long hang time and helping to developed ripe pinot flavours. The fruit is grown over marine sediment soils producing a drier, firmer style but with those classic Christopher silky textures. We love the spice and bright cherry fruit with a dusting of dry herbs. Rich and long this needs another three to five years in bottle. It’s an all-native yeast ferment that spends 18 months in barrel. Production is 640 cases. (AG)

91  Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV

Champagne, France

$100 BCLS

Splendor in salmon. Fresh strawberry, citrus and raspberry aromas lift up out of the flute to meet you. Elegant and full bodied, with fine mousse and notes of strawberry, cream, brioche, dark cherry and mineral and a lingering cherry-currant finish. One of the bestselling rosé Champagne in the world, LP's Cuvée Rosé Brut is one of the few still made using the saignée method - keeping skin contact with the 100% Grand Cru Vineyard pinot noir grapes - to produce the structured and complex rose. This traditional technique is honoured with the signature embossed bottle - a reproduction of those used in the late 17th century. (TR)