The name Jolie-Laide translates loosely to “Pretty-Ugly,” a French term of endearment used to describe something unconventionally beautiful. Based in Sonoma County, California, Scott and Jenny Schultz work with a small group of growers to source fruit from exceptional vineyard sites — stretching from San Benito and Monterey Counties in the Central Coast AVA, up through Sonoma, and further north into Mendocino County.

The quality of the fruit allows for a restrained approach in the winery, resulting in wines that are expressive, site-specific, and pure in profile. In the cellar, grapes are often fermented whole-cluster and foot-crushed, fermentations are carried out with ambient yeasts, and aging occurs in neutral oak or concrete vessels.

Scott began his transition into winemaking after moving from Chicago to manage the beverage program at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa Valley. As he recalls, “Everyone I met was a winemaker, so on my days off I followed people around to see what they were doing.” Before long, he secured the role of cellar master at Realm Winery, followed by time with Arnot-Roberts and then Pax Mahle, contributing to both the Pax and Wind Gap labels. His passion for the craft ultimately led him to launch his own project, Jolie-Laide, in 2010.

A distinctive feature of Jolie-Laide is its ever-changing label art — each vintage showcases 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.”