2021 Jolie-Laide, North Coast Syrah, Healdsburg, CA, USA

Producer:  Scott Schultz, former sommelier at Thomas Keller's,  Bouchon. He is the assistant winemaker for Pax Mahle of Wind Gap & runs the Jolie-Laide project with his wife Jenny Schultz, making unique natural wines. This is a very small production of about 500 cases a year, working with a handful of growers  farming organically & sustainably. ‘Jolie-Laide’ French for ‘Pretty-Ugly’ , a term used to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful.

Place: Started in Sebastopol, now sharing the winemaking facilities with Wind Gap. This cuvee is a blend of single vineyard Syrahs from Hawks Butte , Alder Springs with a few rocky hillside Sonoma - 48% Sonoma County, 26 % Yorkville Highlands, 26% Mendocino.

Cultivation: Organic & Sustainable

Varietal: Syrah

Winemaking: Whole grape clusters are crushed by foot,  fermented with native yeast &  placed into neutral oak barrels for 10 months. Each vineyard site is fermented & aged individually till ready, then blended.

Tasting Notes: Dark Berries + Black Plum - Savory Notes of Cured Meats - Toasted spices & Tobacco Leaf - Smooth Tannins