August 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.
Milou 2024 Rosé • Vin de Pays d'Oc, France • Reg $15.99 | 25% OFF = $11.99
Blend: Grenache 60%, Cinsault 20% & Syrah 20% from arid vineyards with limestone, pebbly soils. Nice soft red fruit. Touch of earthiness. Nice dry finish with a little citrus note. Great for the money at the regular price. So, just sayin’…..
JENS’ TOP PICKS
Every month Portalis owner Jens Strecker picks 8-12 wines that he thinks are outstanding … for any reason he chooses. Here are his August Picks — with late summer in mind!
Jean-François Mérieau 2022 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc • Loire Valley, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
Sexiest Sauvignon in 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.
Scaia 2023 Rosato • Veneto, Italy • Reg $15.99 | Mixed Case $12.79
100% Rondinella. Really fun nose = herbs, raspberries. Flavors of white peach, unripe nectarine. Then red fruit, raspberries, dark cherries. Fresh and fun, but luscious and easy drinking. Great acidity on the finish. Absolutely terrific rosé, especially for the price.
MastroJanni 2020 Costa Cologne Toscana Rosso • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
Primarily Sangiovese with a little Ciliegiolo & Cab. Dusted cherries, herbs on the very pleasant nose. Red and black cherries, note of black currant, plums on the palate. Herbs, in a really good way. Medium-bodied. Spicy, earthy on the finish with acidity that goes through. Fantastic wine.
Peju 2022 Chardonnay • Carneros, California • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
Nose = pineapple, pears, lime. Big nose. Flavors of pears, apples, stone fruit, earthy. Finishes with toffee, butter, rocky minerality. Acidity makes this wine! California's answer to Puligny. At a quarter of the price!
Bodegas Portia 2020 Crianza • Ribera del Duero, Spain • Reg $34.99 | Mixed Case $27.99
100% Tempranillo from 25-year old vines. Aged 10 months in French oak and another 2 months in American oak. Super inviting black & red fruit on the nose. Herbs, minerals, earth. Palate is a symphony of blackberries, black cherries, dark plums. Very complex. Great acidity. Dark chocolate, espresso, fine tannins on the finish. Absolutely great wine! Winery says to pair with flavorful tapas such as andouille sausage, grilled lamb (pictured) or a beef roast.
Domaine Mathias 2020 Mâcon-Chaintré • Burgundy, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
100% Chardonnay. Lovely aromas! A spring field in the Mâcon. Complex, fresh, beautiful nose. Firm, yellow plums, white nectarine. Super complex. Fantastic acidity. Herbal, earthy, floral notes. Apple, citrus on the finish with a note of salinity. This wines plays with you. Jens: This is an aged Mâcon, and it’s still going wild!!! Great wine.
Pictured: Thibault Mathias runs estate with parents Gilles & Béatrice Prost
Two Vintners 2019 Syrah • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
Super spicy, peppery nose! Rich, ripe fruit. Blackberries, blueberries, plums. Coffee. Dark chocolate. Black peppery finish with a soft tannic pull. Natural wine, which is fun.
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. Juniper berries, dark raspberries, plum jam on the nose. Flavors add in black cherries. Plums on the back palate. Garrigue. Herbal. Spicy. Then a fun, dry finish. Delightful wine. Fuller-bodied. Think grill!
Philippe Vialett 2024 Savoie Rosé • Savoie, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
100% Gamay. Nose of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry). Faint note of rose petal. Flavors add in minerality. Finishes with a pleasantly tart/bitter cranberry note that makes you want more. Lighter-bodied, fresh & fun. Let breathe for 15 min for the fruit to shine.
Bodegas Garzon 2023 Single-Vineyard Albariño • Maldonado, Uruguay • Reg $42.99 | Mixed Case $34.39
100% Albariño. Aged 8 months in concrete tanks. Aromas of lime, citrus & sea breeze. Palate adds in peaches, green olives, and a lot of seashells. Salinity and then earthy notes on the dry finish. This wine is pricey, but it's a terrific splurge. A wonderful expression of Albariño. Super well-done. The winery's suggested pairing: smoked corn on the cob with salsa!