Skip to main content

Review: 2011 Jaja by Maison Bleue - Yakima Valley


Maison Bleue is a family-owned winery dedicated to the production of terroir-driven wines from designated vineyards and appellations located across Washington State. They focus primarily on Rhône varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Marsanne and Viognier, as well as Chardonnay.  Jon Meuret-Martinez, owner and winemaker of Maison Bleue Family Winery has had a long affection for Rhône wines. He realized that this is where he would start Maison Bleue Winery and his lifelong focus of Rhône-style wines.

"A highly regarded producer of Syrah and Grenache."- Jancis Robinson, MW

Color: Garnet
Nose: Earthy mushroom with black fruit compote, slate, carnation perfume, cola.
Palate: Medium body, fluid, earthy, dry currant, white pepper, more acid than tannin, with blueberry on the medium-short finish. At opening a pleasant, easy to enjoy red wine. After 30 minutes acid and tannin balanced out, tart core with fruit fleshing out the rest of the palate. At 45 minutes the nose was cola and perfume, the palate dark fruit, spice, herbs with a dry, gratifying dark fruit finish. After an hour this was an aromatic, easy sipping wine, still food worthy too. Recommended.

Thoughts: A lighter bodied red wine, at the price I paid this is a no-brainer for dinner or a party. It made friendly with the beef stir-fry I cooked for dinner. Yes, a food wine, it whetted my appetite so I had to eat while reviewing - I was craving beef Lumpia the entire time. Bring some Jaja to the next party and some food, your family and friends will thank you. I have to get down to their new Walla Walla tasting room and visit. On my list (such a long list).

"Jaja" is southern French slang for a great, everyday wine.

Blend: 43% Syrah, 35% Mourvedre, 22% Grenache
AVA: Yakima Valley
ABV: 14.1%
Closure: Natural cork
Production: 1,200 cases
Released: May 1, 2013
Purchase price: $15.99

Maison Bleue Family Winery
Tasting Room Address:
20 N. 2nd Avenue,
Walla Walla, WA  99362
Thursday-Sunday 11:00-5:00 p.m.
www.mbwinery.com

I first met Jon at the 2012 Taste Washington Seattle. It was a pleasure to enjoy his wine at home.

Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

My Current State of Wine

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend.  February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals."   - William Pollard Jr.  Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle