Each week, I spotlight a wine that truly stands out—whether for its singular character, compelling backstory, or the sheer joy it brings in the glass. This week’s pick: the 2021 Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris from the Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.
I first tasted Jolie-Laide’s Trousseau Gris at the Seven % Solution tasting in 2014, where I sampled the 2013 vintage. The event brought together a small group of California producers—most working with less than 1,000 cases—who were championing lesser-known grape varieties that made up just seven percent of California’s vineyard acreage at the time. It was my first real glimpse into the diversity and creativity thriving on the fringes of the mainstream. Jolie-Laide’s Trousseau Gris made a lasting impression, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
The Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, home to California’s oldest planting of Trousseau Gris. This obscure grey-skinned variety—a mutation of Trousseau Noir—originated in France’s Jura region and is rarely seen today, even there.
Planted in the late 1970s and dry-farmed organically since 1981, the vineyard yields fruit of striking intensity and nuance. In the cellar, winemaker Scott Schultz honors the site’s heritage with a thoughtful, minimalist approach: whole-cluster fruit is foot-crushed and left to macerate on its skins for several days before being gently pressed into a combination of neutral puncheons and stainless steel.
This is the first skin-fermented white wine I’ve featured as Wine of the Week—a compelling reminder of how texture and structure can reframe our expectations of white wine.
Jolie Laide
As importer Bowler Wines puts it:
“The name Jolie-Laide translates loosely to ‘pretty-ugly,’ a French term of endearment used to describe something unconventionally beautiful. Based in Sonoma County, Scott and Jenny Schultz source fruit from spectacular sites and take a hands-off approach in the cellar. All ferments are done with native yeasts, foot-crushed whole clusters, aged in neutral oak, with only a minimal addition of sulfur before bottling.”
Scott’s path to winemaking is itself a story worth sipping: a former beverage director at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa Valley, he was drawn into winemaking by curiosity and proximity—learning on the job at Realm, Arnot-Roberts, and Pax before launching Jolie-Laide in 2010.
One final note: the label changes every vintage, featuring different artists or art collectives. “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” explains Schultz.
2021 Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard
Tasting note: Pretty pale rose gold with color with ripe white peach, lemon oil, white tea, wet stone and floral aromas. On the palate, it approaches medium-bodied with mouth-watering, zesty acidity and subtle tannins that gives this wine a lovely texture. It shows ripe white peach, lemon zest, yellow melon, dried apricot and white tea flavors accented with a wet stone minerality. Very satisfying finish too! 12.2% abv|SRP – $30|90pts
Final Thoughts
The 2021 Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris is a wine that rewards curiosity—beautifully expressive, texturally intriguing, and rooted in a vineyard with a story worth telling. It captures the essence of what I look for in a standout bottle: a distinctive grape variety, thoughtful winemaking, and a sense of place that comes through in every sip. It’s also a reminder of the importance of preserving historic plantings like Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard, and supporting winemakers like Scott Schultz who continue to challenge conventions while celebrating California’s lesser-known gems.
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What a gem you’ve found here…and to know you’ve been drinking it over a decade it’s clear it’s no fluke!