Jolie-Laide founder Scott Schultz, the onetime Wine Director at Napa Valley’s famed Bouchon, apprenticed with several California Syrah whisperers (Pax Mahle; Arnot-Roberts), so he knows how to capture the essence of the variety without any unnecessary adornments. This is a tangy, cool-climate expression from two acclaimed Central Coast vineyards, and while its label may evoke Renaissance-era gentility, its name, “Les Saisons dans les Abyses,” is the French translation of the heavy-metal banger “Seasons in the Abyss,” by Slayer.

The Jolie-Laide operation is based in Sebastopol, but their vineyard sources are scattered across California, from Mendocino to Santa Cruz and beyond. Schultz first landed in California in 2007 and quickly found himself gravitating toward the “production” side of the wine business. Following several deep-dive apprenticeships, he launched his Jolie-Laide label in 2010, amassing an impressive collection of grower-partners from whom he sources fruit. All the Jolie-Laide wines are characterized by a natural, “minimal intervention” approach: Grape bunches are left intact, foot-crushed, and fermented using only ambient yeasts. Only used barrels are employed for aging. Sulfur is added only at the point of bottling, and in the lowest concentrations possible. The elevation of the two vineyard sources, combined with the poor soil and the 100% whole-cluster fermentation, produces a Syrah of notable energy and spice, with moderate alcohol and crisp acidity.

Syrah for this bottling comes from the Brosseau and Coast View vineyards, both nestled in the Gabilan Mountains at elevations of 2,200-2,400 feet. The Gabilan Range effectively picks up where the Santa Cruz Mountains leave off, running south-southeast along the Monterey and San Benito County lines. It contains one of the few significant outcroppings of limestone in California, and is home to AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) such as Chalone and Mt. Harlan. Soils are described as decomposed granite with “veins” of limestone.

While many Syrahs skew almost purple/black in color, this one is a deep ruby/garnet, with a beautiful assortment of fruit, earth, and spice sensations on the nose and palate: blackberries, pomegranate, violets, lavender, black pepper, bay leaf, roasted meat, and tapenade. Medium-plus in body, deeply concentrated, yet tangy and lifted, it has some grip to its tannins that will soften with time in a decanter (30-45 minutes) or in your cellar. A classically styled Syrah for Provençal-style lamb or beef daube.