June 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.
Les Quatre Tours 2023 Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rosé • Provence, France • Reg $21.99 | 25% OFF = $16.49
Classic blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah. Nose of wild strawberries, raspberries & mineral notes. Flavors add in dried apricot, white peach, citrus and wonderful stony minerality, especially on the dry finish.
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 June Picks — made with warmer weather and (hopefully) grilling in mind!
Domaine de Bigonneau 2023 Quincy • Loire Valley, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
100% Sauvignon Blanc from AOC Quincy (west of Sancerre). "This is a soft wine, full of ripe apple and white currant fruit flavors. It’s fresh , but also has a steely edge that gives a strong texture." –importer's notes. We agree. It's soft, fresh, minerally, and elegant. Not overly fruity. Lovely wine and half the price of Sancerre.
Thierry Delaunay 2023 Touraine Rosé • Loire Valley, France • Reg $16.99 | Mixed Case $13.59
Gamay-Cab Franc-Malbec. Aromas of dried apricot, flowers & grass. Flavors = fresh strawberry fields, raspberries, earth. Elegant, creamy mouthfeel. Great acidity. Red currant on the fresh finish. Owner-winemaker Thierry Delaunay pictured.
La Ferme Rouge 2023 Le Gris • Zaer, Morocco • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
An orange wine made from skin contact with Grenache Gris & Cinsault from AOG Zaer, 450 meters above the ocean outside of Rabat. Made by French winemaker, Jacques Poulain.
Nose = sea breeze followed by notes of red fruit... raspberries, strawberries, minerals. Flavors were light, soft, fresh, harmonic. Nectarines, white peach with earthy notes and citrus on the finish. Dry. Final-final = salinity & herbs. Great, fresh, spring rosé.
Bartholomew 2019 Primitivo • Horse Heave Hills, Washington • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
100% Primitivo. Inviting nose. A lot of dark fruit: blackberries, blueberries, dark plums. Spicy, herbal note (nutmeg, black pepper). Flavors add in black cherries. Very plummy. Great acidity. Fuller-bodied. Smoky notes on the long, fresh finish. Great wine. Spare ribs, sausages, duck, rich cuts of beef. Flavors really come out after a good hour+ open. Day 2 = licorice.
D'Arenberg 2023 The Hermit Crab • McLaren Vale, Australia • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
Blend of Viognier/Marsanne 53/47. Nose of seashells, limestone, white peach, honeydew melon. Flavors add in ripe apples, pears and an earthy note. Medium-bodied. Tongue-tingling acidity. The finish is the thing: softly pickled ginger. Absolutely incredible white wine. Full stop.
Pertinace 2022 Nebbiolo • Piedmont, Italy • Reg $26.99 | Mixed Case $21.59
100% Nebbiolo from Langhe DOC, a 5-hectare plot near the village of Treiso. Aged 9-12 months in Slavonian oak casks. Aromas of red fruit with pepper and rosehip. A little bit spicy on the palate with soft tannins. —winery notes.
Two Vintners 2023 Grenache Blanc • Columbia Valley, Washington • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
White Rhône blend of Grenache 92%, Roussanne 6%, Picpoul 1%, Marsanne 1%. White flowers (jasmine) & fresh, juicy, spicy pear on the nose. Flavors add in honeydew melon on the finish + white pepper. Fun wine!! 12.8% alc. 625 cases produced.
Campo Viejo 2016 Gran Reserva • Rioja, Spain • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo with 3 years in oak barrels and 2 years in bottle before release. “Aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and plums, smoky, toasted wood nuances, with spices and hints of minerals and tobacco. On the palate is smooth with soft and velvety tannins, great palate weight, extraordinary balance acidity. Elegant and complex aftertaste, with hints of coffee, chocolate, tobacco and dark fruit. Delicious with red meat, grills and roasts, game, mature and blue cheeses.” —winery notes.
Château de La Vieille Tour 2023 Bordeaux Blanc • Bordeaux, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
50% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Muscadelle, 20% Semillon. Minerals & stone fruit on the nose. Flavors of green apples, green pears, with citrus & white pepper on the finish. Fun, refreshing sipper. Great with dinner, too.
Bodegas Garzon 2022 Tannat Reserva • Maldonado, Uruguay • Reg $25.99 | Mixed Case $20.79
100% Tannat. Aged on the lees in stainless steel tanks. Crazy that this dry of a wine could be this approachable with no oak!
Ripe black & red fruit on the nose. Palate = lots of blackberries, black cherries, dark plums with some earth on the finish. Grafite from the soils. Fine tannins on the finish. Fuller-bodied, but still very refined. Lamb off the grill!