{"id":44,"name":"Maison Bleue Winery","image_url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPaed-txfCeZ1rpAqtSgjkYOWpTVyH21i-vZZWN=w408-h271-k-no","district":"Downtown","hours":"Thurs – Mon: 11 am – 6 pm \nTuesday, Wednesday: Closed","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":false,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":false,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":false,"year_established":2007,"winemaker":"Terry Colton","website":"https://www.maisonbleuewinery.com","phone":"(509) 525-9084","address":"20 N 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362","description":"Downtown in Walla Walla, Maison Bleue channels the Rocks District’s terroir into Syrah, Grenache and Viognier—Rhône‑style gems coaxed by a patient artisan devoted to nuanced, earth‑driven wines","lat":46.0674441,"lng":-118.3398067,"appt_url":"https://www.exploretock.com/maisonbleuewinery","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":"$25 Per person waived with purchase","explorer_tags":[],"profile":"# Maison Bleue Winery — Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story\n\nMaison Bleue Winery was founded in 2007 with a clear and focused vision: to produce terroir-driven wines from the Walla Walla Valley, with an emphasis on Rhône varietals. From its inception, the winery committed itself to sourcing from high-quality vineyard sites within both the broader Walla Walla Valley AVA and the prestigious Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. The founding philosophy centers on an uncompromised approach to traditional winemaking techniques, gentle handling of fruit, and restrained use of French oak — a style designed to honor the distinctive character of each vineyard site rather than impose a heavy winemaking hand.\n\n## Winemaker\n\nThe winery's database listing identifies Terry Colton as the winemaker. The winemaking philosophy associated with Maison Bleue emphasizes traditional techniques, minimal intervention, and a commitment to expressing true varietal characteristics and site distinction. The use of French oak is deliberately modest, suggesting a style that prioritizes fruit integrity and terroir expression over oak influence.\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nMaison Bleue draws from a carefully selected portfolio of vineyards, all chosen for their positioning among high-quality sites within the Walla Walla Valley AVA and The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. The winery notes that all sourced vineyards practice responsible viticulture, ranging from organic to sustainable management.\n\n**Maison Bleue Estate Vineyard** is the winery's own estate holding, planted in 2018 with 15 acres of Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier. Situated at the entrance to The Rocks District, it occupies one of the higher elevations in the appellation, ranging from 918 to 933 feet, a positioning that helps minimize frost risk. The soils are classified as Freewater very cobbly loam — deep, excessively drained, and mixed with loess — and are notable for containing some of the largest stones in the appellation, a result of the site sitting at the historical center of the fast-moving Walla Walla River channel. These sediments were deposited over the last 12,000 years following the ice-age Missoula floods. The estate is sustainably farmed and holds both LIVE and Salmon-Safe certifications. The first harvest from this vineyard took place in 2020.\n\n**Stone Valley Vineyard**, one of the oldest plantings in The Rocks District, was established by Tom Waliser with original plantings dating to 2002 and Syrah added shortly thereafter. The vineyard sits atop an alluvial fan of basalt cobblestones reaching 20 to 60 feet in depth, intermixed with silt loam, sand, and gravel. It is sustainably farmed and holds Salmon-Safe and VINEA certifications. This site is the source for Maison Bleue's **Gravière Syrah**, a single-vineyard designate.\n\n**Funk Estate Vineyard**, planted in 2007, is among the warmer sites in The Rocks District. A gentle slope provides good air drainage, and the soils mirror the cobblestone-dominant profile typical of the appellation. Vines are trained using a quadrilateral system to manage light exposure and airflow, resulting in lighter cluster weights and smaller berries. This vineyard is the source for Maison Bleue's small-lot **Frontière Syrah**.\n\n**LeFore Vineyard**, planted in the late 1990s and now also an estate vineyard for Doubleback and Bledsoe Family Wines, sits at 970 feet — among the higher elevations in the appellation — with free water cobbly loam soils. Maison Bleue used Syrah from this site for their 2017 and 2018 **Voyageur Syrah**.\n\n**Les Collines Vineyard**, whose name is French for \"The Foothills,\" sits at the base of the Blue Mountains with an upper elevation of 1,380 feet. Block 46, Maison Bleue's Syrah source, is located at the upper elevation and features Athena series soils — deep, well-drained, formed in loess mixed with volcanic ash. The vineyard is sustainably farmed with Salmon-Safe and LIVE certifications. It contributed to the 2017 **Voyageur Syrah**.\n\n## Signature Wines\n\nMaison Bleue specializes in Rhône varietals, with Syrah as the clear focal point. Named wines include the **Gravière Syrah** (single-vineyard from Stone Valley), the **Frontière Syrah** (small-lot, single-vineyard from Funk Estate), and the **Voyageur Syrah** (a multi-vineyard bottling drawing from LeFore and Les Collines). Grenache and Viognier are also grown on the estate and represent core parts of the winery's portfolio.\n\n## Tasting Notes\n\nFor the Gravière Syrah sourced from Stone Valley Vineyard, Maison Bleue describes a wine that shows the traditional \"Rocks\" profile: meaty, savory, and earthy, with a dense core of black fruits.\n\n## Tasting Room\n\nMaison Bleue's tasting room is located in downtown Walla Walla. It operates Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reservations are appreciated, though walk-ins are welcome.\n\n## Accolades\n\nMaison Bleue has been described by **Jancis Robinson, MW** as *\"a highly regarded producer of Syrah and Grenache\"* — a notable endorsement from one of the world's most respected wine critics and Masters of Wine.\n\n## Winery Character\n\nMaison Bleue occupies a distinctive niche in the Walla Walla wine community as a specialist in Rhône varietals, particularly within the geologically unique Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. The winery's identity is rooted in a deep commitment to terroir expression, drawing from some of the appellation's oldest and most celebrated vineyard sites while also investing in its own estate. Its traditional, low-intervention winemaking philosophy, combined with recognition from international critics like Jancis Robinson, positions Maison Bleue as one of the region's more focused and critically respected Rhône-style producers.","somm_notes":[],"wines":[{"name":"Whole Cluster Pinot Noir","vintage":"2024","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$29.00"},{"name":"Kittyhawk Pinot Noir","vintage":"2024","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"Estate Pinot Noir","vintage":"2023","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$40.00"},{"name":"Bernau Block Pinot Noir","vintage":"2023","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Bernau Estate Pinot Noir","vintage":"2023","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$100.00"},{"name":"Tualatin Estate White Pinot Noir","vintage":"2023","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Ingram Estate Pinot Noir","vintage":"2023","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":""},{"name":"Tualatin Estate Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Elton Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Daedalus Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$79.00"},{"name":"Loeza Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Hannah Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Vintage 49 Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$85.00"},{"name":"Signature Cuvée Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"O'Brien Pinot Noir","vintage":"2022","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$80.00"},{"name":"Fuller Pinot Noir","vintage":"2021","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":"$120.00"}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"yelp","rating":4.8,"count":37},{"source":"tripadvisor","rating":4.1,"count":16}],"sample_reviews":[{"source":"yelp","reviewer":"Jeff T.","rating":null,"rating_max":5.0,"text":"Got to meet and talk to Barb for over an hour about all that has gone on in Walla Walla and how much the town has grown.","date":null},{"source":"yelp","reviewer":"Tammy E.","rating":null,"rating_max":5.0,"text":"Maison Bleue was my first stop on day 2 and I immediately purchased the viognier and the grenache.","date":null}],"critic_scores":[],"community_scores":[{"wine_name":"Syrah Frontiere Funk Vineyard","vintage":2018,"score":94,"source":"Wine Berserkers","critic":"John_Glas","tasting_note":") Wow is this good! Black pepper, gravel, dark fruits, spices, stone and floral notes. Super complex wine and really long finish. This is amazing there are no notes on this wine. ("},{"wine_name":"Syrah Gravière Stone Valley Vineyard","vintage":2018,"score":93,"source":"Wine Berserkers","critic":"John_Glas","tasting_note":") This was very good featuring pepper, briquet, rose petals, dried twigs and minerals. Complex wine and just a touch under the quality of the 18 Frontiere. ("},{"wine_name":"Lisette Rosé","vintage":2020,"score":87,"source":"Wine Berserkers","critic":"John_Glas","tasting_note":") Another Rose that falls under 90. Watermelon, spice and a short finish. This is not bad but can someone make a Rose from Washington with some flavor? ("}],"events":[]}