February 2025
WINE OF THE MONTH
Every month we give a little spotlight time to a hidden treasure, a wine we think you should meet (and hopefully fall in love with). To encourage the introduction, we offer the wine at 25% OFF the bottle price for the given month.
Château Seuil de Mazeyres 2014 Pomerol • Bordeaux, France • Reg $51.99 | 25% OFF = $38.99
Classic Right Bank blend of Merlot (96%) & Cab Franc (4%). Clay/gravel & clay/sand soils. Aged 50% in barrels and 50% in vats.
Smooth nose of dark plums & soft earth. Elegant, harmonious. Complex flavors of plums, black cherries, blackberries. Fine tannins. 2014! Give it an hour to open. Enjoy with a nice cut of meat or a mushroom dish for a Valentine’s celebration at home!
JENS’ TOP PICKS
Every month Portalis owner Jens Strecker picks 5-10 wines that he thinks are outstanding … for any reason he chooses. Here are his picks (not in a specific order) made with winter days and love in mind.
R.H. Coutier NV Grand Cru Brut Rosé • Champagne, France • Reg $66.99 | Mixed Case $53.59
Blend of 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. “Our cuvee Rose express fineness and elegance due to a higher proportion of Chardonnay in the blend. It is brisk, fresh and full of energy, the Rosé offers a striking interplay of Ambonnay richness and verve. Dried flowers, cranberry, mint and blood orange.’ —winemaker’s notes.
Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières 2022 Gigondas • Southern Rhône, France • Reg $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79
Blend = 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah. Aged in concrete vats, so no oak. Herbal, spicy notes on the nose with lots of ripe, red & black fruits. Elegant, complex, luscious flavors of dark raspberries, black cherries and blackberries. Long, spicy finish with soft tannins. Absolutey wonderful wine. Crowd-pleaser regardless of how much you know about wine!
Alain Chavy 2022 Bourgogne Blanc • Burgundy, France • Reg $41.99 | Mixed Case $33.59
100% Chardonnay aged 1-year in used, French oak. Alain: “We’re looking for a balance between the fruit and oak character. We want the wine’s minerality to show through.”
“Wines from Puligny-Montrachet are typified by aromas and flavors of green apple and lemon and tend to be tauter and firmer on the palate compared to wines from neighboring villages. Aging in a small percentage of new French oak barrels lends accents of toast and vanilla.” —importer noters.
Carlos Serres 2020 Crianza • Rioja, Spain • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
100% Tempranillo. Jens: the nose is super sexy!! Soft cherry, blackberries, earth (pecans), spices (hint of nutmeg?). Medium-bodied. Long, spicy, softly dry, exciting finish. Absolutely fantastic for the money.
Dr. Loosen 2022 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese • Mosel, Germany • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
“I love the interplay of ripe and slightly caramelized pear fruit with spicy complexity in this ripe yet lively Mosel Spatlese. The vibrant blood orange character easily balances the natural grape sweetness on the ample palate. Long zesty finish that’s barely off-dry. Drink or hold.” —James Suckling
Giuseppe Nada 2021 Barbera d'Alba Superiore • Piedmont, Italy • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
100% Barbera. Red berries, red cherries on the nose with herbal & spicy notes. On the palate: red cherries, black cherries, underbrush (a little). Pleasantly fresh, dry, acidic finish. Classic Barbera. Great with pizza & pasta of all kinds.
Ancient Peaks 2021 Zinfandel • Paso Robles, California • Reg $25.99 | Mixed Case $20.79
Nose of bramble, boysenberries, raspberries, huckleberries, berries, berries, berries. The nose is super inviting. When you smell it, you think it's going to be full of fruit, and then the palate is subdued. Dark raspberries, blackberries, marionberries. Medium-bodied. Fine acidity (which makes this wine). For a Zinfandel, super elegant. Soft. Long-finish. I think this producer is outstanding.
Soléna 2022 Pinot Noir Grande Cuvée • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
Full-on raspberries on the nose. (Seriously intense! Are you in a raspberry bush?!) Spicy. Floral. Flavors are more cherries, still some raspberries. Full of flavors but still only 13.5% alc. Finish is long, spicy and fun! Everything I want from an Oregon Pinot! —Jens
Weingut Hiedler 2023 Grüner Veltliner vom Löss • Wachau, Austria • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
100% Grüner Veltliner grown in Löss soils = "mineral dust of weathered alpine rocks, crushed under the weight of ice age glaciers" —winery explanation. Flavors of crushed stone, lime, white plums. Super refreshing, almost effervescent on the finish.