March 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.
Frank 2021 Pinotage • Western Cape, South Africa • Reg $14.99 | 25% OFF = $11.24
Boysenberries! Dark raspberries & cherries, too. Fresh. Medium-bodied. Tobacco on the finish. This is a tame, lovely Pinotage. So tasty & fun.
Pinotage is the quintessential grape of South Africa. It was created there and is grown exclusively in the vineyards around Cape Town.
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 late winter, early spring in mind.
Fond Croze 2022 Rasteau • Southern Rhône, France • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
Grenache/Syrah. Wonderful garrigue nose, red fruit. On the palate: raspberry, tagberry, strawberry. Note of licorice & herbs. Soft acidity. Really nice fruit. Ready to drink.
Domaine de La Denante 2022 Bourgogne Blanc • Burgundy, France • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
100% Chardonnay from vineyards north of Mâcon. Fresh, delicious, unoaked Chardonnay. No malolactic. No butter. Soft tree fruit, a hint of citrus. Pleasant acidity. Crazy good.
Dr. Heyden 2020 Riesling Oppenheimer Kabinett • Reingau, Germany • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
Aromas of ripe tropical fruit, lime. Very exciting. Bright, lively acidity with flavors of tangerine, melon, pineapple, citrus with some mineral notes. Great with spicy Asian dishes or some German fare.
Photo: owner/winemaker Frank Heyden
Moutard Crémant Blanc de Blancs • Burgundy, France • Reg $24.99 | Mixed Case $19.99
100% Chardonnay from Chablis! “This is a superb value bottle of fizz. Sharp, clean acidity with a steely minerality against a fruit profile of granny smiths and zingy citrus fruit. Bready notes from the secondary fermentation give a rich complexity that rounds off this fantastic wine!” —The Good Spirits Co., Glasgow, Scotland. Great description. —Jens.
Crow Haven Winery 2022 Malbec • Rattlesnake Hills, Washington • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Dark, intriguing nose of blackberry, black cherry. Flavors add in dark plums. Great, vibrant acidity. Lively, delicious drinking. Great food wine. Will settle down and get even better with time. Tasty now.
Photo: father/son team Maxx & Paul McGoff
Trois Maison 2023 Blanc Bordeaux •Bordeaux, France • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 60/40. Organic. No sulfites added. Citrus blossoms on the nose, citrus-lime, a little apple. Acidity is so good. Soft but there! Fresh wine with a lovely, crisp finish (but not tart). Great wine.
Morini 2020 Morale Sangiovese Superiore • Emilia-Romagna, Italy • Reg $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
Super sexy, inviting aromas of red & dark plums, black raspberries, licorice and this je-ne-sais-quoi herbal quality. Great acidity. Soft tannins. Absolutely killer for the money. (The Sangiovese of my youth!! —Jens)
Ancient Peaks 2023 Sauvignon Blanc
Paso Robles, California • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
Perfect Sauvignon Blanc for early spring... honeysuckle, stone fruit, citrus, earthy notes on the nose. Flavors of citrus, nectarine, fleshy yellow plums, salinity on the finish. Citrus, citrus, citrus. With evenings getting longer… perfect!
WillaJory 2023 Pinot Noir • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
“WillaJory takes its names from the 50 million year old marine sedimentary Willakenzie and the 20 million year old volcanic Jory soils” on the property. Winemaker says: bright rich aromas of raspberry, blackberry, strawberry and cherry. Soft tannins with spices on the finish. We agree. Great value for Oregon Pinot.
Paxton 2020 AAA Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre • McLaren Vale, Australia • Reg $25.99 | Mixed Case $20.79
On the nose you can already smell eucalyptus, red & black fruit. Taste = black cherries, blackberries, black raspberries with an herbal undertone. Great acidity. Elegant. Complex. Smooth easy drinking. Just delicious.
Rombeau 2018 Le Botanist Reserve • Côtes-de-Roussillon Villages, France • Reg $26.99 | Mixed Case $21.59
Blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre from vineyards in the foothills of the Pyrenees (known for its black slate soils), near the border to Spain.
Herbal, earthy, sexy, black raspberries, marionberries, orange rind on the nose. Flavors of black cherries, blackberries, blueberries. Orange rind acidity again on the finish. Medium- to fuller-bodied. Great complexity. Fresh finish. Absolutely amazing wine. "Flowy and free-spirited, yet grounded." —Jens.