Maison Bleue

Jon Meuret practiced dentistry before leaving the profession to pursue winemaking. In 2007 he founded Maison Bleue in Prosser, Washington, with the goal of making Washington Rhone wines in an old-world style, and in 2012 he moved his family and the winery to Walla Walla on a permanent footing.

• Former dentist who left the profession to pursue winemaking full time
• 2007: founded Maison Bleue in Prosser, Washington, focused on old-world-style Washington Rhone wines
• 2012: moved his family and the winery to Walla Walla on a permanent footing

The Maison Bleue identity is fully Rhone. Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier are the core varieties; Mourvedre, Roussanne, and Marsanne fill in around the edges. The approach favors terroir-driven single-vineyard expression over standardized blending. The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, the cobblestone-strewn alluvial fan that sits on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, is the program's most-cited terroir; the basalt cobbles produce Syrah with the ferrous savory signature that defines the AVA, and Maison Bleue's Rocks bottlings have been recognized through critic reviews and tasting-room demand. Beyond the Rocks the program sources from established Walla Walla and broader Washington vineyards; cited cuvees have included Grenache from Alder Ridge Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills and from Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, and Syrah from Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.

• Core varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Viognier; secondary Mourvedre, Roussanne, Marsanne
• Terroir-driven single-vineyard approach; preference for vineyard-specific expression over standardized blending
• Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA central to the Syrah program; basalt cobble terroir gives the ferrous savory signature that defines the AVA
• Other cited sources: Alder Ridge (Horse Heaven Hills) and Upland (Snipes Mountain) for Grenache; Boushey (Yakima Valley) for Syrah

On January 18, 2018, Willamette Valley Vineyards acquired Maison Bleue. Willamette Valley Vineyards is a publicly traded Oregon producer founded in 1983 by Jim Bernau in Salem. Maison Bleue had already worked closely with Willamette Valley Vineyards: in 2015 Meuret began consulting on the Pambrun Wines project, named for Jim Bernau's fourth great-grandfather Pierre Pambrun (regarded as Walla Walla's first citizen). The 2018 acquisition gave Willamette Valley Vineyards a dedicated Walla Walla Rhone brand . Meuret, the founder, stepped away from the brand after the acquisition, and under Willamette Valley Vineyards ownership the brand has expanded production scale while keeping the terroir-driven Rhone character intact.

• January 18, 2018: Willamette Valley Vineyards acquired Maison Bleue outright
• Willamette Valley Vineyards: publicly traded Salem, Oregon producer founded 1983 by Jim Bernau
• Pre-acquisition partnership: Meuret consulted on Pambrun Wines from 2015 (project named for Bernau's fourth great-grandfather Pierre Pambrun, Walla Walla's first citizen)
• Meuret, the founder, stepped away from the brand after the acquisition; production scale expanded under Willamette Valley Vineyards while keeping the terroir-driven Rhone character intact

Maison Bleue's lineup runs through the Rhone vocabulary. Voyageur (French for traveler) is a Walla Walla Valley Syrah blend that pulls from sought-after Walla Walla vineyards; rich plum and blackberry fruit with leather and savory notes. Métis is a 70% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre red that takes its name from the Métis heritage of Catherine Kitty Umfreville Pambrun (Jim Bernau's fourth great-grandmother, who alongside her husband Pierre Pambrun led Fort Nez Perces at the site of present-day Walla Walla). Bourgeois is a Grenache-led blend. La Montagnette is a Grenache-led bottling; cited vintages have come from Alder Ridge in Horse Heaven Hills and Upland on Snipes Mountain. Liberté is a Syrah; one cited vintage was 100% Syrah from Boushey Vineyard in Yakima Valley. The lineup preserves the original Maison Bleue Rhone identity and now also reaches into the Pambrun family history through the Métis bottling.

• Voyageur: Walla Walla Valley Syrah blend (name translates as traveler); plum and blackberry fruit with leather and savory notes
• Métis: 70% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre; named for the Métis heritage of Catherine Kitty Umfreville Pambrun (Jim Bernau's fourth great-grandmother)
• Bourgeois: Grenache-led blend
• La Montagnette: Grenache-led (cited vintages from Alder Ridge in Horse Heaven Hills, Upland on Snipes Mountain); Liberté: Syrah (one cited vintage 100% Boushey Vineyard in Yakima Valley)

Willamette Valley Vineyards dedicated a 15-acre estate vineyard to the Maison Bleue brand in 2018, planted at the entrance to the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. The site is planted to Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier; the higher-elevation position relative to the broader Rocks helps reduce frost risk in cold vintages and gives the brand a meaningful estate-control over part of its fruit supply. The Maison Bleue tasting room is in downtown Walla Walla at 20 N. 2nd Avenue, in the cluster of downtown tasting rooms that has built up since the early 2000s. The Pambrun Wines connection runs in parallel: Pierre Chrysologue Pambrun is described in Bernau family history as Walla Walla's first citizen, and Catherine Kitty Umfreville Pambrun (whose Métis heritage gave the Maison Bleue Métis bottling its name) led Fort Nez Perces alongside him.

• Maison Bleue Estate Vineyard: 15 acres planted 2018 at the entrance to the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA; Syrah, Grenache, Viognier; higher-elevation position helps reduce frost risk
• Tasting room: downtown Walla Walla at 20 N. 2nd Avenue; part of the downtown cluster that built up from the early 2000s onward
• Pambrun Wines connection: Pierre Pambrun (Walla Walla's first citizen, Jim Bernau's fourth great-grandfather) and Catherine Kitty Umfreville Pambrun (whose Métis heritage names the Métis bottling) led Fort Nez Perces at the site of present-day Walla Walla
• Owned by Willamette Valley Vineyards since 2018; Jon Meuret, the founder, stepped away from the brand after the acquisition