Winemaker Scott Schultz moved to Napa to work as the Wine Director at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa Valley. Everyone he met was a winemaker, so on his days off he followed people around to see what they were doing. Before he knew it, he had secured the cellar master job at Realm Winery, and then joined Pax Mahle in the same capacity, working on the ‘Pax’ and ‘Wind Gap’ labels. Scott’s passion for winemaking grew so significantly that he decided to start his own project in 2010. He named it ‘Jolie-Laide’ which is a French term of endearment that literally translates to “pretty ugly” yet is meant to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful.

Scott’s approach is a natural one, picking his grapes by hand, crushing them by foot treading, and aging the finished wines in neutral oak. His keen eye for finding great fruit from only sustainably and responsibly farmed sites, coupled with his impressive wine making talent, never compromises the quality of the wines. “The do-nothing approach isn’t new by any means; it’s just funny how far many have gotten away from it.”

At Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, the Jolie-Laide wines are among our absolute favorites (for selling and for bringing home to enjoy ourselves). They take us off a more traditional path with grape varieties like Valdiguié, Pinot Gris, Melon, Trousseau Gris, Trousseau Noir, Poulsard, Gamay, Grenache and Syrah. Each year, the wines get better—and this year’s release might be our favorite so far! We are looking forward to and exploring Jolie-Laide's captivatingly beautiful wines made from the many forgotten varietals planted in California’s historic vineyards.

THE WINES ARE SERVED AS TWO-OUNCE POURS AND 5-OUNCE GLASSES.

• Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris, Fannuchi-Wood Road Vineyard, Sonoma County, 2021
• Jolie Laide Glou d'Etat Red Wine, California, 2021
• Jolie-Laide Grenache, Chalone, 2020
• Jolie-Laide Trousseau Noir-Cab Pfeffer-Valdiguié-Gamay, California, 2021
• Jolie-Laide Syrah, North Coast, 2020

No reservations required. Must be 21+ to attend.