The name Jolie-Laide translates loosely to Pretty-Ugly, a French term of endearment to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful. Based out of Sonoma County, California, Scott and Jenny Schultz work with a handful of growers to source fruit from spectacular vineyard sites, allowing them to keep a hands-off approach in the cellar. The winemaking method at Jolie-Laide is simple: grapes are left whole cluster, foot crushed, and aged in neutral oak. All ferments are done with native yeasts, and the only additions consist of a minimal dose of sulfur before bottling.

Scott began his transition into the winemaking world after a move from Chicago to run the beverage program at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa Valley. As he explains, “everyone I met was a winemaker, so on my days off I followed people around to see what they were doing." Before long, he had secured the cellar master job at Realm Winery, followed by a stint with Arnot-Roberts, and then joining Pax Mahle to work on the Pax and Wind Gap labels. Scott’s passion for winemaking inevitably led to his own project, Jolie-Laide, in 2010.

One feature to note – the labels change every year, featuring a different artist or art collective. “Our wines are a celebration of the year and seasons in which they are made, always unique and different, no two bottlings are ever the same.”