Jolie-Laide ‘Glou d’Etat’ Red 2022

Location: United States, California

Winemaker: Scott & Jenny Schultz

Grapes: 38% Valdiguie, 33% Mourvedre, 17% Grenache, 12% Cab Franc, Syrah, Carignan & Petite Verdot

From us at M&L: “Jolie-Laide” is a French expression that basically means “unconventionally attractive”.

In most of the wines we truly love, there always lurks a bit of quirk. It’s the subtle, winking, unconventional qualities that often make an otherwise “fine” wine (in all senses of the word) memorable.

Scott and Jenny Schultz have a knack for finding terrific vineyards from which they source fruit. All organic, mostly old vines… the good stuff. Their metier is usually structured, complex, densely nuanced and hyper-aromatic reds and experimental, broad textured whites.

This month we’re featuring a bit of an oddball in their lineup. Think of it as extra “jolie-laide”!! This is the “Glou d’Etat” as they call the easy drinking, gastronomic, hedonistic bottle.  Glou glou is French, onomatopoetic term for ‘glug-glug” wine - wine for thirst, for drinking with all manner of  food (or no food, at all).

If you’re regularly in the shop you know that we celebrate these unfussy wines. Don’t mistake this wine’s approachability (or any of our other light, quaffable favorites) for simple or plain. The “Glou d’Etat” is clever and reveals many layers even if it is easily sucked down.

This is an inspired, rather that haphazard, blend of at least 7 grapes (predominantly Valdiguie, the watermelon of grapes, and Mourvedre, the cool one). The bunches were left intact for a short carbonic maceration  - a la Beaujolais - before being foot tread for the final stages of fermentation. A short aging in stainless and neutral vessels follows before bottling without filtration and just a pinch of so2. 

California is lucky to have Jolie-Laide and we’re happy to introduce this great, young winery to all of you!

From the Importer Bowler: A new red blend for Jolie-Laide coming from a unique spread of vineyards and varieties dotted around California - 38% Valdiguie, 33% Mourvedre, 17% Grenache, 12% other (Cab Franc, Syrah, Carignan, Petite Verdot).Glou d’ Etat is a light red wine made in a fun and irreverent style, inspired by many of their favorite European wines. The wine is made with carbonic maceration, before being foot-crushed and left to complete fermentation with whole clusters, creating a lighter drinking style with fresh aromatics and a lower tannin profile. Perfect with a chill!