Marie-Laure Ammons was born and raised in Chameyrat, a village in the rural Limousin region of France. Surrounded by an agricultural community, she and her family were truly farm to table, enjoying meals featuring the vegetables they cultivated, the meat they raised, and fruit from their orchard. Thus, she seemed destined to become involved in agriculture in the form of the wine industry. After earning winemaking diplomas at Ecole Viticole of Libourne Bordeaux and Beaune Dijon, she initiated her professional career working in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and other winegrowing regions of southern France.

Marie-Laure broadened her French winemaking experience by moving to California in 1998, working with Pierre Seillan at Stonestreet in the Alexander Valley and then with Mike Sullivan at Hartford Court in the Russian River Valley. Returning to France, she worked four harvests at Dulong Négociant in Bordeaux.

In 2003, she joined Philippe Melka’s team at Atelier Melka Consulting, and was soon convinced that the energy of the group and the potential for making quality wine made Napa Valley the place to be. She remained with Atelier Melka for 18 years, including as head winemaker at Oakville East from 2010 to 2023.

Marie-Laure founded Nid Tessé (French for woven nest), a name that reflects her connection both to France and the U.S. She released her first vintage in 2019 and currently is crafting highly-regarded Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. She noted that, “After two internships in Burgundy, I fell in love with the Chardonnay grape. This noble grape, well made, it reflects a terroir, and the spectrum of flavors is wide. Its evolution overtime in bottle is unique.” Her winemaking philosophy, with minimal intervention to respect the character of site, is driven by her experience in various French domains. “The focus is on: Sense of Place; Sophistication; [and] Freshness + Structure.”

Her husband Frederick shares Marie-Laure’s passion for wine and is also a winemaker. They are both involved in various consulting activities and maintain close professional and family ties with France.