2009 Maison Bleue, Graviere, Upland Vineyard, Snipes Mountain

WINE TALK
1

I bought this wine a month or so ago from Soul Wine in Seattle. It was recommended by Michael. At this point it is restrained, yet balanced, and needs 3-4 hours to open up. I would recommend cellaring it.

2009 Maison Bleue, Graviere, Upland Vineyard, Snipes Mountain
This is a blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 25% Mourvedre. This wine has a clean, young nose of primary grapey fruit mixed with floral notes. In the mouth the sweet tannins mix with tart, red fruits and dusty herbs. This light to medium weight wine is supported by juicy acidity. Over several hours it slowly unfolds, showing future potential as red cranberries, herbs, spices, and a little bacon develop. Definitely in a young stage.

Best,

Aaron

2

Just had this recently and loved it. Fantastic wines (and value) across the board.

3

Had my first Maison Bleue flight last year and was wowed. One of the great undiscovereds around here.

4

Jeb, Tom, I am very glad it was recommended to me. I also have a soft spot for NW Rhone blends.
Best, Aaron

5

I tasted a half dozen or so Maison Bleue reds yesterday at the Seattle Rhone Rangers event. I’d call them the stars of the show to my taste.
The whites were also excellent, but need both time and food to come out fully.

P Hickner

6

Maison Bleue is definitely one of the Washington wineries that I am most excited about at the moment. The 2009 Graviere is a fantastic wine, although I agree that it needs some time to show itself fully. I tasted through winemaker Jon Martinez’s most recent releases - 2010 Viognier, 2010 Marsanne, 2009 Liberte Boushey Syrah, and 2009 Le Midi Grenache - with him yesterday. All were top notch with the Marsanne and Liberte among the best wines I’ve had this year. Martinez makes his wines in a much more Old World style with no new oak on the reds (2-3 year) and lower alcohol levels and higher acid. They definitely need additional time in the cellar to truly sing but patience will be rewarded. Link to notes on releases from earlier in the year below as well as a previous, more extended post on the winery. Should have the latest releases posted up on the blog in the next two weeks.

7

Peter, Sean,

Thank you very much for the replies. There is a generally rather limited supply of NW wines in the Washington, DC area. If anything there are more Oregon Pinot Noirs followed by the more popular Washington wines. I always bring back six bottles from my Seattle trips so I am happy I bought this bottle as it was a treat to drink this. And Sean, thank you for including the links.

Aaron