Maison Bleue
One of the rising stars in the Washington wine scene is Maison Bleue. A visit to their stylish Walla Walla tasting room is a must, especially for those who are a fan of Rhône varietals. They produce some excellent Grenache and Syrah, using very little French oak. Head winemaker Jon Meuret, was trained as a dentist and then became a full time winemaker, focusing on making high quality Rhone varietals. The results are superb, as the wines showcase both terroir and fruit. These are wines that are great out of the bottle and won’t require any cellaring. Their value priced wine called ‘Jaja’ impresses for the price and can be found at some Northwest Costcos for around 20 bucks. Find the rest of the wines at specialty Northwest wine shops or online at https://www.mbwinery.com/. Here are some of the great wines that I recently sampled at the Maison Bleue tasting room in Walla Walla. #maisonbleue
2012 Maison Bleue Metis Blanc-This is a blend of 60% Marsanne, 25% Grenache Blanc and 5% Rousanne. Nose has honeydew, starfruit and and pear. Palate is dry and has pear, red delicious apple, and green papaya. Balanced. -91
2014 Maison Bleue Lisette-This is a Grenache rose with small amounts of Mouvedre, Cinsault and Viognier. Bright nose with strawberry, guava and baked apple. Palate has strawberry, red delicious and guava. Just delicious for the style. Nice finish. -91
2012 Maison Bleue Metis-70% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 5% Mouvedre. Smoked meats, black cherry and black olive on the nose. Palate has smoked meats, red cherry and pomegranate. Layered and balanced. Drink now. -91
2012 Maison Bleue Bourgeois-Blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. Provencale herbs, smoked meats, red cherry anise and oak on the nose. Palate has black cherry, anise, cassis and nice acid structure. Very classy. Drink 2015 on. -92
2012 Maison Bleue Voyageur Syrah- 100% Syrah. Nose has smoked meats, tar and black cherry. Palate has nice depth. Black cherry, anise, smoked meats in this plush wine. Layered. Drink 2015 on. -93
2012 Maison Bleue Jaja- This is a Rhone style GSM blend. Nose slightly subdued with red cherry, and dried herbs. Palate is open and balanced. Raspberry, red cherry and pomegranate with nice mouthfeel. Drink 2015 on. -91