2016 Maison Bleue Voyageur Syrah

Maison Bleue was founded in 2007 by Jon Meuret, who left a career in dentistry in Kansas City to move to Walla Walla and pursue his interest in winemaking. Meuret sources grapes from Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley. He has also started a Domaine J. Meuret label for single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from dry farmed vineyards in Oregon and the Columbia Gorge. Maison Bleue focuses primarily on Rhone style wines of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier and Marsanne. The estate’s wines have regularly earned ratings in the low and mid-90s.

Walla Walla Valley AVA likes to call itself the Napa Valley of Washington, and given the concentration of well-reviewed wineries in the appellation, the comparison is understandable. The Walla Walla appellation is comprised of 340,000 acres, of which 1,200 acres are vineyards. Walla Walla is located in the southeastern corner of Washington and it extends slightly into northeastern Oregon. It is named after the Walla Walla River Valley, and the city of Walla Walla is the commercial center of Washington’s wine industry. The city was founded in the 1840s by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post, but as early as the 1850s farmers were planting grapes for winemaking. Prohibition shuttered winemaking in the early 20th century, but a winemaking renaissance started in the 1970s when Leonetti Cellars, still one of the state’s most acclaimed wineries, started producing acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla’s AVA status was awarded in 1984 and today there are more than 100 wineries. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese Chardonnay and Viognier.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.