Four from Maison Bleue

Hello friends. The long wait is over.

As the months have gone by since our last Maison Bleue offer, the e-mails have gone from gently inquiring (so, any Maison Bleue offers upcoming?) to mildly urgent (do you know it has been six months since a Maison Bleue offer?) to deeply unsettled (what the hell is going on with Maison Bleue?).

It has been awhile. Our last Maison Bleue offer of any kind was a set of reoffers in August 2013. The last time we had a new release was a year ago tomorrow: June 19, 2013. I promise it has not been for lack of interest or lack of effort; only lack of availability.

To his credit, the delay has been a result of Jon Meuret simply holding back his top wines longer before release, which can only mean further refinement/improvement on already-beautiful wines. It also means accounts around town (not to mention out of state) are foaming at the mouth to get at these. As you’ll see below, all four of these wines have strong reviews, and from a broad swath of reviewers at that, so they’re not long for this world.

Now I have good news and bad news on that front. The good news: I believe we’re getting access to these as early as anyone not already on the Maison Bleue mailing list, and we’ve been offered a very generous allocation by Jon, a result, I suspect, of our list’s long, strong, and steady support of his wines.

The bad news: with the exception of the new white wine we’re offering today, all of the remaining wines are one-shot only. This will be our only access to 2011 Midi, Montagnette, and Liberte; our only offer for these wines. Reorders will not be possible.

So let’s dive deep into the portfolio of what has rapidly become one of the finest Rhone lineups in Washington:

2012 Maison Bleue Metis Blanc

A new addition to the Maison Bleue lineup, and a lovely one at that. This is essentially a Boushey Vineyard wine, considering that 95% (all the 60% Marsanne, all the 35% Grenache Blanc) of the fruit comes from that site, with the remaining 5% Roussanne from Dutchman. These are both cooler Yakima Valley sites, and the resulting alcohol (13.4%) is quite moderate by the standards of the vintage.

Jon put this through 100% malolactic conversion, and did regular lees-stirring, so despite the moderate alcohol, this has plenty of heft and creaminess to the mouthfeel. It saw just 18% new French oak, and it is a lovely pale gold in the glass. The aromatics are wickedly complex: peach and nectarine, almond and mineral, and more exotics like cardamom and green tea. The balance, of fleshy fruit and bright acid, of nutty/minerally Marsanne and stone fruit, is pinpoint, and the finish is awfully long for a white wine.

We have a pre-publication review from Sean Sullivan, who heaps some serious praise on this one: Washington Wine Report (Sean Sullivan): “[REVIEW TEXT WITHHELD]. Rating: ***** (Exceptional).”

2011 Maison Bleue Grenache “La Montagnette” Upland Vineyard

Like the previous two vintages, this comes entirely from Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain. Alfred Newhouse bought the vineyard in 1972 (there were vinifera vineyards on Snipes Mountain as early as 1917), and now his grandson, Todd Newhouse, farms the site. It is planted to numerous varietals, but perhaps none has garnered more acclaim than the Grenache.

Jon makes one of the classiest versions from this site, and in 2011, it was raised entirely in five-year-old French oak for just shy of a year. It clocks in at 14.3% listed alc, and total production was a mere 265 cases. It’s such an honest Grenache, a ringing bell of purity. The trinity of brambly berry fruit and brushy garrigue and rocky minerality are all here and are well-balanced. This is very pretty and lifted in the mouth, offering silky texture and plenty of power with no excess weight. The plushness of the fruit pairs beautifully with the brightness of the cool-vintage 2011 acidity.

Wine Enthusiast (Sean Sullivan): “[REVIEW TEXT WITHHELD]. 94pts.”

[Note: if you’re comparing Enthusiast reviews, please note that the reviewers are different: Sean Sullivan for Montagnette and Paul Gregutt for Midi.]

2011 Maison Bleue Grenache “Le Midi” Boushey Vineyard

And Midi, of course, comes entirely from Boushey Vineyard. The combination of Dick Boushey’s growing prowess and Jon Meuret’s winemaking prowess is seductive indeed. This saw a little more than a year in barrel, this time a combo of four- and five-year-old French oak. Listed alc is 14.5%. 320 cases produced.

This has a completely different savory character than Montagnette. I daresay there’s some Boushey funk here (seen more commonly in Syrah from this site), in the form of truffle and ham hock aromatics to go with the red raspberry fruit and dustings of white pepper. In the mouth, the insistent savory earthiness continues. I like the wildness here, the suggestion of the sauvage (likely thanks to 50% whole cluster fermentation, with stems and all). It’s more high-strung, more nervy, less immediately-accessible than suppler La Montagnette. Both styles are successful, and there are plenty of occasions for both. It just depends on your mood that evening (or perhaps morning).

Wine Enthusiast (Paul Gregutt): “[REVIEW TEXT WITHHELD]. 95pts.”

2011 Maison Bleue Syrah “Liberte” Boushey Vineyard

And finally Jon’s Boushey Vineyard Syrah (250 cases produced), which was fermented with 25% whole clusters and then put into larger French oak puncheons for a little over a year (20% new). The listed alc is 14.1%.

For me, this is Jon’s best vintage of Liberte to date. There is a core of black and blue berry fruit, but the joy is in the savory complexities: smoky charcoal, grilled meats, black olive, black pepper. The palate-weight is wonderful, offering a pillowy mouthfeel that just glides and glides. Your palate is coated with savory-fruity goodness long after the last swallow.

Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): “[REVIEW TEXT WITHHELD]. 94pts.”

Please limit order requests to 36 bottles total (mix and match as you like), and we’ll do our best to fulfill all requests. The wines should arrive in about a week, at which point they will be ready for pickup or shipping during the next temperature-appropriate shipping window.