By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 4th June, 2022

Mother’s Day is a big deal around our house as we recognize two Mothers — my wife Barbara, and our daughter Lizzie. Lizzie is in her 30’s and has a degree in Animal Husbandry. She works as a Vet Tech and divides her time between two animal welfare clinics. She grew up riding and caring for horses and competed in Dressage from the age of 8 until she left for college. In 1998 we bought a property neighboring ours in order to develop additional vineyards. There was a house on the property, and she lives there with her husband and son. We love having them nearby.

It’s no surprise that Liz learned to be a pretty good cook from Barbara. I enjoy it when she visits and talks recipes with Barbara, but it’s especially gratifying when she asks for my opinion about wine. Years ago when she had recently graduated from college, her then boyfriend took her out to dinner at a restaurant near her campus home. She was getting by on her part-time-job pay, while taking courses necessary for her Vet Tech Certification. She still asked for the wine list though, and ordered the Domaine Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf du Pape for the two of them. It was a proud moment for me when I learned of it.

Lizzie is closer to home now, and it’s an easy walk from her house to ours. She stops by often — not to borrow a cup of sugar, but to select a bottle of wine. She still loves Vieux Télégraphe, to say nothing of Domaine Tempier Bandol. A favorite of hers, though, is the Neyers Chardonnay ‘304.’ It’s a wine that I find especially attractive. It’s bright, fresh, crisp, and flavorful, and the combination of low alcohol and high natural acidity makes it even more enticing. You can probably imagine how I feel when Liz asks for a bottle to share with some friends.

Our Mother’s Day plan this year will begin with Champagne – J. Lassalle Cuvée Angeline is our favorite. We’ll start the meal with a goat cheese salad, and that should be perfect with the Chardonnay ‘304’. Squash just began to appear in our local market, so they’ll do pasta with pancetta, and a mix of fresh squash. I just opened a case of 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bottle of that will work fine.