18 *Favs* from 2025!
JULIE, JENS, ABBY
It was hard, but we did it again! Second annual Staff Picks for the year: 18 spots on the table. We (Julie, Jens, Abby) each got 6 spots to pick our favorite wines of 2025. And [drum roll]… here they are:
Jens’ 6 Favs:
Rocca del Principe 2022 Fiano di Avellino • Campania, Italy • Reg $28.99 | Mixed Case $23.19
100% Fiano from Fiano di Avellino, a DOCG designation near Mount Vesuvius that produces top notch Fiano. Aged in steel on fine lees for 10 months then in bottle for at least 4-6 months before release. That's a big time investment for a white wine!
Floral nose with soft, smoky fruit — grilled peach. Peach, yellow plums, yellow apples, citrus on the palate. It’s a symphony. Luscious in style. Minerals & salinity on the long finish. Good acidity. No oak. It’s all fruit. Amazing wine.
Jens: It’s a symphony! This is how volcanic minerality impacts a wine.
Yangarra 2020 Ovitelli Blanc • McLaren Vale, Australia • Reg $77.99 | Mixed Case $62.39
Blend of Grenache Blanc & Roussanne. Petrol, herbs, yellow plums, star fruit on the nose. Flavors of spicy Asian pear, baked savory apple, yellow plums. Finish is fresh & drier which makes it super food friendly. Note of salinity. This wine could easily age for 3-4 years.
Jens: I think this wine is something else! Châteauneuf blanc transplanted in Australia shows its exotic best.
Andrew Will 2023 Sangiovese • Red Mountain, Washington • Reg $41.99 | Mixed Case $33.59
100% Sangiovese from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Dark violets and black fruits on the nose. Well-balanced with flavors of blackberries, blueberries, dark cherries and herbal notes. Smooth finish with fine tannins.
Jens: Fantastic Sangiovese from one of the most underrated wineries in WA State. You must try it.
Domaine de Janasse 2021 Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge • Southern Rhône, France • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
Grenache 40%, Syrah 30%, Mourvèdre 30%. Vineyard south of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (where the winery is located). Nose is incredible: garrigue, pebbles, dark raspberries & some strawberries. Flavors are amazing: adding in blackberries, black cherries, dark plums + a little note of red currant on the finish. Fuller-bodied. Acidity is great — goes all the way through.
Jens: This wine is a CDRV on steroids. Mini-Châteauneuf for sure!!
Turley 2022 Old Vines Zinfandel • California • Reg $42.99 | Mixed Case $34.39
100% Zinfandel. Bramble on the nose. Sweet tobacco. Baking spices. AllZinso it has more of this jam quality plus black pepper. Lots of berries. Mulberries. Blackberries. Almost like a pie, but not a sweet one. And not a big wine. Medium- to full. Fantastic acidity! A little black tea at the end and then spicy on the finish.
Jens: This wine is phenomenal. Best Zinfandel for the money from an iconic producer.
Glassblower 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon • Napa Valley, California • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
South Napa Vintners is a co-op & they are killing it with the price and the wine! Nose is full of red & black plums, blackberries, spicy earth. Flavors of plums, black cherries, cassis, dark coffee, mocha.
Jens: This wine is really good!! Fine tannins on the finish. Soft acidity. Under $25? Best cab we have on the shelf. So curious who the winemaker is… it’s a mystery.
Abby’s 6 Favs:
Mas des Bressades 2023 Costières de Nîmes Blanc • Southern Rhône, France • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marianne, Viognier. Nose = white peach, floral notes & almonds. Flavors add in dried apricots, note of pears, with citrus on the finish. Creamy texture. Fuller-bodied. Absolutely great wine.
Abby: I really enjoyed all of Mas de Bressades wines I was able to taste, but this Rhône white was the most beautiful. And I love the crocodile on the bottle!
Jean-François Mérieau 2022 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc • Loire Valley, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Sexiest Sauvignonin the house for the money!! Absolutely amazing, stoney, flinty nose with yellow plums & floral notes. The nose is intoxicating. Plums, citrus, muted grapefruit. They’re all in sync. Like a piece of art. Superb acidity. Just wonderful. Photo:Mérieauestate harvest.
Abby: This sauv blanc is just so soft and lovely. Stone fruit and minerality. Yummy.
Sonder Wines 2022 Red Field Blend • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
We didn't think WA had it in it to produce this light of a red... but Sonder did it. 13% alcohol. (No easy feat in Washington State.) Light in body. Fresh fruity flavors with a little earth and minerality from its Rhône blend of Counoise, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre & Viognier. Nice, slight bitterness on the finish. (This is a positive thing – think Dolcetto!). Makes you want more.
Abby: A light, fruity, field blend from Washington. Just fun, delicious, and unexpected!
Owen Roe 2022 Ex Umbris • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
100% Syrah. Stewed plums, black raspberries, herbal notes on the nose. Flavors: blackberries, dark plums, blueberries. Fantastic acidity. Spicy notes on the finish. With pleasant tannins. Medium-bodied. Fantastic, well-made wine. Winery suggests pairing their Malbec with a grilled pork shoulder steak. This wine would be perfect as well. Drink now to 3 years.
Abby: I’d been wanting to try this one for a while and it did not disappoint. I really like the earthy, smoky finish.
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno 2018 Cannubi Barolo• Piedmont, Italy • Reg $53.99 | Mixed Case $43.19
100% Nebbiolo from the estate’s Cannubi vineyard. Rose petals, nutmeg, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar on the flavors. Super complex flavors. Very well-priced Canubi in the market. Long term leases on these vineyards with a winery/cellar in canubi. Super-complex. Flavors add in cherries, raspberries, herbs. Long finish. Drink now to 5 years. Can put down 50 years. At 30, drink as an after dinner wine, not with food. Just sip and enjoy.
Abby: My first Barolo! Truth be told I love all three of the Borgogno wines we have on the shelf, but as soon as I tasted the Barolo I wanted more of it.
Van Duzer 2021 Pinot Noir • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
100% Pinot Noir. Earthy with dark raspberries, black cherries, some spicy notes. Fantastic acidity. Super complex. Flavors = red & black raspberries, cherries, tag berries. Smooth. Lovely. Nice, long, spicy, fun finish. Drink this holiday season. Don't think it will get better. Delicious. And note the beautiful, festive label.
Abby: I took this to share on a 4th I’d July camping trip, and it was a hit. Bigger, earthy, complex. It made everybody who tasted it go “Ooohh!”
Julie’s 6 Picks:
Cornelia Tessari 2023 Grisela Soave • Veneto, Italy • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
100% Garganega. Water over rocks minerality on the nose. Light and fresh with some earth, pears, apples. Flavors add in yellow plums. Really good acidity. Fresh. Not heavy. 12.5% alc. Finish returns to water over rocks with a note of citrus rind.
Julie: Just a lovely, flavorful sipper with perfect acidity. Great with dinner, too.
Alain Chavy 2022 Bourgogne Blanc • Burgundy, France • Reg $41.99 | Mixed Case $33.59
100% Chardonnay aged 1-year in used French oak. Aromas of green apple & lemon with a toasty note. Alain: “We’re looking for a balance between the fruit and oak character. We want the wine’s minerality to show through.”
Julie: You think you don’t like oaky Chardonnay until you try a beautifully-crafted white Burgundy. Soft oak, lots of complex flavors, easy to drink.
Bavencoff 2022 Bourgogne Rouge • Burgundy, France • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
100% Pinot Noir. Mmmmmmm. Earthy, herbal nose with dark cherries and Marion berries. Flavors black cherries, black raspberries and red plums. Well-balanced. Great acidity. Fresh, fun finish. 12.5% alcohol. Just a terrific Burgundy for this price.
Julie: We tried to get this wine for wine club this year, but the supply wasn’t there. This is the next best way to honor a truly delicious Pinot Noir from Burgundy!
Lanari 2018 Fibbio Conero Riserva • Marche, Italy • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
100% Montepulciano from fertile, sandy, limestone soils in the DOCG Conero. Dried herbs, cedar, red & black plums, dark cherries. Medium-bodied. Great, mouth-watering acidity (but not tart), pretty smooth from the age. The finish is so pleasant. Notes of cedar, minerality, plums and then cherries. Such a beautiful wine. Jens: Freakin' awesome!! Drink now. Absolutely perfect. Won't get better.
Julie: You think of Montepulciano as a glass-pour-pizza-wine, but this wine has so much depth and delicious complexity. Blew me away.
Masseria Li Veli 2023 Susumaniello • Puglia, Italy • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
100% Susumaniello from vineyards in Salento. Juniper (which is a rich, deep, earthy smell like walking through an evergreen forest), huckleberries, blackberries on the nose. Rich and full of fruit with fantastic acidity. Blackberries, blueberries, dark spicy plums, with a pleasant earthiness. Jens: "If you don't like that wine, something is wrong in your brain!"
Julie: So fun to taste a grape you’ve never heard of and have it be this good!
Gordo 2021 Monastrell • Yecla, Spain • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
100% Monastrell = Mourvèdre. Herbal, earthy, dark fruit on the nose. Palate = blackberries, black plums, blueberries, herbal, black tea. Dry finish with a little, vibrant, orange rind acidity on the tail end. Crazy-good food wine. The wine you're getting for the money is insane.
Julie: Just love this fuller-bodied, plummy, delicious dark fruit with a nice dry finish. Rustic and delicious!
Triple Crown
All 3 of us has this wine on our list, so we decided to give it a special honor!
Château de l'Ou 2023 Côtes du Roussillon Rouge • Languedoc-Roussillon, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Blend = Syrah 60%, Grenache 40% from the southernmost vineyards in France on the border to Spain. Owners Séverine et Philippe Bourrier pictured. Juniper berries, dark raspberries, plum jam on the nose. Flavors add in black cherries. Plums on the back palate. Garrigue. Herbal. Spicy. Fuller-bodied. Then a fun, dry finish but smooth. Delightful wine.
Note: One of our best-selling reds of the year, and there’s a reason!
Choosing 6 bottles from the hundreds we get the honor of tasting throughout the year is no small task, but it’s a blast, and we had a lot of fun doing it. (Oh, the discussions!) Hope you enjoy our picks. The wines are phenomenal! —the Portalis team