18 *Favs* from 2024!
JULIE, JENS, ABBY
It was hard, but we did it. 18 spots on the table. We (Julie, Jens, Abby) each got 6 spots to pick our favorite wines of 2024. And [drum roll]… here they are:
Julie’s 6 Favs:
J. Lassalle NV Premier Cru Brut
Champagne, France • Reg $69.99 | Mixed Case $55.99
Minerals (sea shells, chalk) and white peach on the nose. Medium-bodied with round fruity flavors of zesty lemon and stone fruits. Long, fresh, minerally finish. Great acidity. Low on yeasty notes.
Julie: Absolutely stunning grower Champagne. Interesting, delicious, totally worthy of a splurge!
Château Magneau 2023 Graves Blanc
Bordeaux, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle. Smooth, floral, inviting nose. Citrusy lime. Creamy, stone fruit purée. Apples, pears. Fine acidity. Limestone. Really nice, pleasantly dry, minerally finish.
Julie: Complex, interesting, fun, delicious. What more could you want?
Pala 2021 Oltreluna Monica
Sardinia, Italy • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
100% Monica. Never heard of it? Neither had we until last summer. Red berries, red plums, soft fresh earth. Silky smooth. Add in black cherries on the finish. Complex. Elegant. Harmonious. Smooth.
Julie: So fun to meet a new grape that is this delicious! Medium to lighter in body. Velvety. Full of flavor but not heavy. Perfect red for me.
Gerard Bertrand 2020 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel Rouge
Languedoc-Roussillon, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Grenache 75%, Syrah 15%, Carignan 10%. Underbrush, garrigue, herbs, raspberries & red berries on the nose. Super attractive nose. Lots of plums, black & red raspberries. Medium-bodied. Herbal. Spicy. Long finish.
Julie: Everything that’s great about French wines. Earthy, sexy (it’s the Carignan!!), silky-smooth fruit.
Château Vieux Chevrol 2019 Lalande de Pomerol
Bordeaux, France • Reg $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79
Merlot 80%, Cab Franc 10%, Cab Sauv 10%. Certified organic. Cassis, plums, sandalwood on the nose. Fruits are more dominant in the flavors: black plums, blackberry, soft note of cassis. Super elegant, complex, great acidity with a long, pleasantly dry finish.
Julie: I regularly caress this label when I walk by it in the shop and wish I were drinking it that night with dinner. (I'm not joking!)
Bartholomew 2020 Carménère
Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $36.99 | Mixed Case $29.59
Rattlesnake Hills 80%, Waluke Slope 20%. Plummy fruit compote, roasted dark fruit on the nose. Flavors of plums, black cherries, touch of green pepper. Fuller-bodied. Luscious, smooth fruit with silky tannins on the finish.
Julie: Fuller, lush, darker fruit, crazy-good… especially this time of year!
Jens’ 6 Favs:
Parigot & Richard Crémant de Bourgogne Brut
Burgundy, France • Reg $37.99 | Mixed Case $30.39
Rich, ripe, golden apples & fresh pear with just out of the oven yeasty brioche... but energetic!! Full & mousse-y on the palate with a fun, citrusy-lime acidity on the finish. Really tastes like a well-made Champagne!
Jens: Super sexy Christmas bubbles!
Glantenet 2021 Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc
Burgundy, France • Reg $34.99 | Mixed Case $27.99
100% Chardonnay. Golden color. Really exciting aromas of Bosc pear, apples, limestone. Palate is elegant, complex, adding stone fruit, limestone minerality, and citrus on the finish. Wonderful wine.
Jens: Very sensual, very intriguing wine. There's so much going on....
Nigl 2021 Grüner Veltliner
Kremstal, Austria • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
Wow!! Inviting, vibrant nose of stone fruit, pineapple, dried peach. Flavors are mouthwatering: stone fruits, citrus & then spices: ginger, cardamom with a long, white peppery, spicy finish. Worth the extra price.
Jens: Top producer. Fantastic value for this Grüner. The wine is amazing.
Broadley 2023 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $28.99 | Mixed Case $23.19
Lots of black cherries & raspberries on the nose. Flavors = more of the same + a note of fennel & earthy notes. Medium-bodied. Vibrant finish.
Jens: One of the best Pinots of the year. Especially at this price. Loved it!
Château Franc Grâce-Dieu 2018 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Bordeaux, France • Reg $42.99 | Mixed Case $34.39
Merlot-Cab Franc. Spicy plums, dark cherries, black tea, fine early notes on the nose. Flavors of blackberries, boysenberries, black cherries. Complex. Well-balanced “to the bone.” Long finish with fine tannins. Wonderful Saint-Émilion. Worth every penny.
Jens: This property is next to Angelus. Superb wine for the money. Delicious.
Ovum 2022 Old Vine Red Table Wine
Columbia Gorge • Reg $34.99 | Mixed Case $27.99
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sarah, 15% Pinot Noir. Columbia Gorge AVA. 13.5% Absolutely crazy blend! Lovely red fruit — raspberries, strawberries. Smells medium-bodied. Super inviting. Then the palate… much bigger. Red & black plums, black raspberries on the finish. Earthy depth. Note of herbs.
Jens: The blend is crazy! And the wine is complex, elegant, super tasty.
Abby’s 6 Favs:
Lunaria 2023 Pinot Grigio Ramoro
Abruzzo, Italy • Reg $20.99 | Mixed Case $16.79
Thirty hours on the dark grey Pinot Grigio skins creates this fun, orange wine. Flowers & ruby red grapefruit on the nose. Flavors of blood orange, grapefruit with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Organic, natural wine.
Abby: I love a good orange wine. It pairs well with lots of different foods, kind of like rosé but with a fun twist!
Unico Zelo 2022 Esoterico
Riverland & Clare Valley, Australia • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Kind of earthy aromas of citrus, white peach, ginger and other Asian spices. (As it opens, the ginger becomes more prominent.) Flavors of citrus, nectarines, blood oranges and orange peel. Tingly, spicy acidity with a great, long herbal finish. Crazy-fun wine.
Abby: This wine is just wild! I had never heard of Zibibbo before and there’s so much going on in this wine. Love the ginger notes!
Pala 2021 Cannonau Reserva
Sardinia, Italy • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
Ripe red berry fruit with herbal notes on the nose. Medium-bodied, somewhat juicy with flavors of wild strawberries, red plums, cherries, dark chocolate, licorice, with a note of orange peel (acidity) & fresh loamy earth. Smooth tannins on the long finish.
Abby: Loved the intense berry and plum flavors that seemed darker and fuller than I was expecting. Another great wine to have solo or with food.
Masseria Li Veli 2022 Passamante Salice Salentino
Puglia, Italy • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
100% Negroamaro. Dried plums, red cherries, and classic Italian earth & herbs: thyme, oregano, rosemary. But faint. Takes you there.... Tasty long finish. Super pleasant acidity (not tart at all). Medium+ bodied. Just a treat.
Abby: Smooth and easy drinking. Too easy!
Catena 2021 Paraje Altamira Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
Notably high elevation vineyards at 3,613 ft. Red & black plums. Earth. Herbs. Super inviting nose. Smooth flavors of plums, blackberries. Elegant, complex. Medium-bodied to fuller. On the finish, mineral notes again. Fantastic wine.
Abby: My favorite Malbec on the shelf this year!
Clos Figueras 2022 Serras del Priorat
Priorat, Spain • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
Blend: 51% Garnacha, 31% Cariñena (Carignan), 12% Syrah, 6% Cab. Nose of red fruit, garrigue, fennel, earth. Red fruit (raspberry, strawberry, red plums) on the front palate & black fruit (blackberry) & black pepper at the end. Crushed slate on the finish. Fuller-bodied.
Abby: This has truly been my favorite wine in the shop for the last year. I’m a sucker for Carignan and its peppery notes.
It was a blast selecting our Top 6 wines from the hundreds of wines we tasted this last year. Hope you enjoy our picks! —the Portalis team