Unconventional Beauty from Two "Next Generation" California Wineries!

The French expression "Jolie Laide" refers to something that is attractive in an unconventional way, and it is a fitting name for Scott and Jenny Schultz's winery. Sourcing grapes from old-vine sites across California, none of their wines are classically styled, but all have extraordinary beauty and drinkability. 

The red wine we have today from Scott and Jenny showcases a new wave of light, bright, clean, low-intervention, lower alcohol wines that demonstrate the exuberant side of California.

Full of flavor, their "Glou d'Etat" is the perfect red for end-of-summer or early fall gatherings where multiple bottles will be enjoyed with friends. Read on for our tasting notes, and for a luscious expression of California Sauvignon Blanc from Florèz Wines, then snap that Big Yellow Button to get in on the vibrance that is today's new California!

September's Vinyl at Vin Chicago:

Guitar Solo!

Our Barrington store is back to spinning vinyl, and who doesn’t love a great guitar solo? On Thursday, September 5th, we'll hear the strumming through multiple genres with the likes of Page, Beck, Clapton, Santana, and Metheny providing a background for four tables of wines and bites from our friends at the Yankee Doodle Inn. Click here to sign up for the fun!

When: Thursday, Sept 5th, 6:30pm - 8:30 pm

Where: Vin Chicago, 311 Main Street, Barrington

Cost: $10 per person

Any Questions? Call the Barrington store at (847) 277-0833

2023 Jolie-Laide "Glou d'Etat" Red Blend

California

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Having worked as a sommelier at Thomas Keller's Bouchon and then at Realm Cellars, Wind Gap, and Pax, Scott began Jolie-Laide in 2010. His and Jenny's "Glou d'Etat" is a play on Coup d'Etat, perhaps because it will crush the other red wines at your summer cookouts!

A blend of 38% Valdiguié, 33% Mourvèdre, 17% Grenache, and 12% Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Syrah and Petite Verdot, it comes across as a mash-up of Beaujolais and Côtes-du-Rhone. Given that until 1999, the Valdiguié grape was known as Napa Gamay, this makes perfect sense.

Carbonic maceration enhances the fruit notes of raspberry, strawberry, and plum, while the Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah deepen the flavor and add a light but noticeable earthiness and tannic backbone that give this 12% ABV wine more intrigue than most chillable, glou-glou options.

Earning a 91-Point rating on the Vin Chicago scale, the Glou d'Etat is clean as a whistle from the moment it is popped and is simply delicious. Median online retail is a bit over 25 bucks. Our price makes it a must-try.

Vin Chicago Price: 21.99

2023 Florèz Wines "Shangra-Li Mendo Savvy-B"

Redwood Valley, Mendocino, California

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An even more recent entrant into the California wine scene, Florèz Wines was started by James Jelks in 2017 and he is quickly making a name for himself.

This unique, lip-smacking Sauvignon Blanc comes from a 50+ year-old plot of Sauvignon Blanc in Upton Vineyard, near Redwood Valley in Mendocino County.

Rather than the overt tropical tones of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, it hits you up front with a lively acidity that mellows quickly, while tasty notes of pineapple, evergreen, lemon and lime zest waft from the glass. Bottled unfiltered, this hazy, delicious wine drinks clean and is a new, pure and quite wonderful rendition of old-vine Cali Sauvignon Blanc.

Looking online we found five prices ranging from $28 to $36. In Vin Chicago fashion, we bring you this hot new wine for less.

Vin Chicago Price: 23.99

If you cannot see a yellow button, please either click here,

or contact us at 773-791-7936 for assistance.