Jolie-Laide Red Blend GSM Alder Springs Vineyard Mendocino 2021

If you’ve gotten your hands on any of our past Jolie-Laide offers, you know this is a cult-y cool California producer on the major upswing right now. Their counter-culture, small-case production has inspired some of the most devoted and chic fans in the wine world – and for under $20, their 93-point Mendocino GSM paints a beautiful picture of exactly why they continue to flourish.

“There is so much to like here,” says Vinous in their 93-point remarks – and we’re surfing with them on the exact same wavelength. Grown on the remote, coastal site of Alder Springs Vineyard, just 12 miles from the Pacific in far northern Mendocino County, the wine is woven from 43% Grenache, 43% Syrah, and 14% Mourvèdre pulled from steep, rugged, mountainous plots surrounded by Redwoods. The result is a quite Rhône-esque, elegant vibrance – with energetic acid and rocky-spiced minerality interlaced beautifully with blueberry, black plum, fennel, white pepper, and wild herbs. It’s luscious and deeply complex, with brightness and charisma that most $20 bottles certainly don’t possess.

It makes sense, too. Jolie-Laide is a tiny, hands-on winemaking project built around a “less is more” philosophy. Founder and somm-turned-winemaker Scott Schultz has said his vision is to make pretty wines from ugly vines, the very name “Jolie-Laide” loosely translating to “pretty-ugly.” This means: an emphasis on minimal-intervention practices, rare grape varieties, and terroir-driven character via foot crushing, whole cluster-fermentation, native yeasts, and neutral oak or inert vessel aging to preserve purity.

They source fruit from small, sustainable, often organically farmed vineyards across Northern California – typically taking under-appreciated or less common varieties – and treat each vintage and each wine almost as its own unique piece of art, allowing the unique traits of the environment and grapes to speak for themselves. The result is wines known for freshness, clarity, and a kind of honest expressiveness. This fresh and remarkably balanced GSM certainly achieves that, even at its very fair original $55 mark. But for under $20? You can rest assured that “the more, the merrier” absolutely applies here. 

PAIRING IDEAS: Give this a wonderfully spiced Moroccan lamb meatball-stuffed pita, dressed with leafy greens, minty yogurt sauce, and plenty of fresh herbs. This recipe looks killer, and my mouth is officially watering.