àMaurice Cellars is located east of downtown Walla Walla on Mill Creek Road. It is next door to Walla Walla Vintners and just down the road from K Vintners and the Abeja Inn. Along the lane leading to the winery, rows of lavender greet you, which were in full bloom on the Saturday afternoon I visited. The winery is housed in a temporary structure (there are plans to build a larger complex) next to the 13 acre estate vineyard planted in 2006.

àMaurice, is a family-owned and operated winery, named after Maurice Shafer, the father of founder Tom Shafer, and grandfather of winemaker Anna Shafer. This winery appears to be a true family affair, with Anna's mother, Kathleen, and her siblings, NIcholas and Stephanie, each playing an integral role. Even though the Shafers are fifth generation Washingtonians, the winery seems to pride itself on having a strong French influence that goes beyond the name, àMaurice, which means "to Maurice".

On the day I visited, it seemed only natural that a French woman with a strong accent was pouring wine. Complementing this scene was a variety of recognitions by the French for àMaurice wines and hospitality. Near the front door, a wall is adorned with framed Le Cordon Bleu certificates along with a very official medallion from some French group that had dined at the winery.

The inside of the winery is a large, open space comprising areas for tasting and barrel storage. Weather permitting, the best place to sip is outside, where rows of grapes are just a few feet away, set against beautiful views of wheat fields and the Blue Mountains in the distance. This would also be an ideal location for a winery dinner. I can understand why the French have showered àMaurice with medals and certificates.

On another wall near the tasting table is a framed letter and envelope from Maurice, whose signature served as the basis for the àMaurice logo. Unless you visited the àMaurice web site beforehand or had been given the background story by someone working there, you would have no idea what purpose this letter served.

Unfortunately, the lack of context provided with Maurice's letter in the winery seemed to extend to the wines being poured.

Other than explaining the varietals comprising each of the four wines available for tasting, nothing else was mentioned to inform me of where the grapes were grown or how the wine was made. However, the server was eager to share that some of the wines had won medals and garnered favorable reviews.

I asked about the winery's background and the woman seemed perplexed with my questions, but then replied by stating something about Anna's love of physics leading her to wine and her jobs working in Argentina. I don't know if it was my questions that threw her off or the fact that she had difficulty understanding me. Regardless, something was getting lost in translation here.

I then asked her about the name of the winery and she quickly replied that it was the family's grandfather. I was hoping she would point out Maurice's letter on the wall and share the story behind it. Unfortunately, none of this was offered. Instead, she asked if I was ready for my next taste. After trying their '07 viognier, '06 chardonnay, '05 malbec, and '05 red blend, I purchased a bottle of the chardonnay, which should be a nice wine to enjoy at dinner.

I salute the server's efficient service, but she fell well short of providing an effective beyond the bottle experience. This visit demonstrated the importance of not only having knowledgeable staff behind the counter, but also someone who is clearly passionate about the wines they are pouring. In all fairness, this individual may have been filling in for a regular staff member.

Looking back, my visit to the aMaurice winery stood in stark contrast to the virtual experience I had afterward going to www.amaurice.com. In visiting their web site, I learned a ton about Maurice's letter, the Shafer family, and their winemaking philosophy. It's a shame none of these stories about the people and places behind àMaurice were shared during my visit.

At the very least, it would serve àMaurice well to have details about the who, what and where of their wines and winery available in handout form at the bar or placed on the wall. This would make up for any lack of knowledge or passion on a staff member's part.

Until these improvements are made, I recommend you experience àMaurice Cellars first online at their web site and then offline at their winery. Following that sequence, you can be assured of a more connected experience at the winery. Otherwise, you may risk experiencing what I did, which was wine without context. Every bottle, glass, and taste of wine deserves context, especially when visiting a winery.

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