Located at 67289 Trout Road outside of Montrose, LaNoue DuBois Winery has deep meaning for the LaNoue family—owners Lee LaNoue, Kathy LaNoue (Lee’s stepmother), and Rick LaNoue (his father).
“LaNoue DuBois (LahNew DewBwah) isn’t exactly the easiest name to say, but it means a lot to us,” says Lee. “In French, it means ‘LaNoue of the Woods.’ LaNoue is our last name, and the maiden name of the matriarch in our family is Woods. My grandfather purchased a huge parcel of land here in 1946. Then, when he retired, subdivided the land into five parcels.
The front of the LaNoue Dubois Winery’s tasting room, where visitors can sample and consume various award-winning wines. (Jen Wolfe for the MBT)
Though we only own 55 acres these days, all of the surrounding property around the vineyard and winery used to be part of the Woods Estate, and the vineyard is still called Woods Estate Vineyard. This dream of ours couldn’t have happened without both families, so we chose this name to be symbolic of ‘LaNoue Wines From The Woods Estate.’”
Sustainable Growers
Lee and his family believe in sustainable farming practices, and the vineyard shows it. There are a total of 15 planted acres, with several more plots ready to be planted on the estate. LaNoue DuBois is the only winery in Colorado that uses a solar-powered drip irrigation system, and the winery and tasting room are solar-powered as well. All weeding is done by hand, and they use no herbicides or pesticides on their grapes.
LaNoue DuBois grows five varietals of grapes: Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, and New York Black Muscat. The names are probably unusual to the American ear, used to grapes like Concord, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon, but all five are either “Cold Hardy” or “French-American Hybrid” varieties.
These Cold Hardy varieties are extremely resilient to cold temperatures and have a natural resistance to diseases. Even in wet years, LaNoue DuBois Winery doesn’t have to spray for things like Powdery Mildew.
The tasting room interior. (Jen Wolfe for the MBT)
LaNoue DuBois is the only vineyard in Colorado that grows only hybrid grapes. Hybrids came about when a disease struck the vineyards of Europe in the 1860s. In those days, it was common to import plants from other countries without any checks or balances. Unbeknownst to the grape growers of the day, North American vines carried grape phylloxera, an insect pest that nearly wiped out European vineyards.
However, North American grapes also have defenses against phylloxera. The roots of American vines exude a sticky sap that repels the nymph form by clogging its mouth when it tries to feed from the vine.
To save the venerable and ancient varietals of European grapes, the vines were grafted to American rootstock to make them resistant to phylloxera. Then, to prevent the spread of other diseases and to make grapes hardier, the process of hybridizing or cross-breeding varieties occurred.
Getting Started
LaNoue DuBois opened its doors in 2021, just in time for a hard October freeze to harm the not-yet-dormant vines, followed by an early April budding and a series of killing frosts in May.
“We opened our doors with nearly 30% of our grape yield gone,” says Lee. “We had to buy and ship in grapes from Washington state to blend with our own grapes to begin the wine-making process. These days, all our vintages are made from grapes we grow right here in the Uncompahgre Valley… unless we get another hard freeze.”
Award-winning labels at LaNoue Dubois Winery. (Jen Wolfe for the MBT)
When asked what the biggest challenge of running a family business has been, Lee says, “Family! We all had different ideas of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. We had to learn to compromise in a hurry. These days, we are much more in accord on where we want the business to go, but those early days were kind of hairy!”
“It’s also been a challenge getting the supplies we need shipped in. There are times when I have shipments sent to Grand Junction since it can be a thousand dollars cheaper for me to take a day off to run up there and pick the stuff up myself,” Lee says.
Tastings and Tours
Turn off Highway 50 onto Trout Road—just past the hops fields, you’ll find the beautiful LaNoue DuBois tasting room. The room is trimmed with wood milled from the Woods Family Farm and is available for business or social meetings and special events, with a capacity of 35. There is a large outdoor patio with a wonderful view of the San Juans, including tables and sun umbrellas, as well as picnic tables.
The 2,500-square-foot production floor is below the tasting room, with tours (including tastings straight from the vats) available on request. During the summer months, the winery does one to two tours and tastings per day.
“Since we are a family-run winery, and one of us is almost always on the property, we can offer more flexibility after hours or on days we are closed,” says Lee. “Please email Lee@lanouewines.com if you’d like to schedule a private tasting, tour, event, or to pick up some wine if you can’t get off of work before we close.”
For an added treat, LaNoue DuBois Winery has collaborated with Body-Mind Connection Massage for a one-of-a-kind wine and massage pairing. The amazing masseuses with Body-Mind Connection will meet clients at the vineyard for a 60- or 90-minute single or couple’s massage.
Bask in the massage, enjoy the sounds of the Uncompahgre River flowing by and the smells of the grapes in bloom. Afterward, stop by the tasting room to continue indulging the senses with a bottle of wine and a charcuterie board.
Award Winners
DuBois Winery has won awards in every single competition and wine category it has entered, but perhaps the most prestigious award was earned in 2024 from the Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology (CAVE)—the coveted Winery of the Year award.
The award is based on the quality of the wines, the types of grapes grown, how much the winery has progressed, and how it supports and advances Colorado viticulture and enology.
You can buy these award-winning wines in the tasting room at the winery, of course, but also The Liquor Store and House of Spirits carry the LaNoue DuBois labels in Montrose.
For exclusive access, join the LaNoue DuBois Wine Club. LaNoue Vintner’s Club members enjoy premier access to the latest releases, four quarterly wine shipments per year, plus various member benefits.
The Future of
LaNoue DuBois
Lee has two children, a daughter, age 6, who loves to clean the tables in the tasting room. His son, age 11, often joins his father on the production floor to help with all the chemical testing that is done on the wines.
“As a family business, I naturally hope my children will take over from us. My son did mention that after he’d been a paleontologist for a while and when he got to be as old as I am, he’d come back and take the vineyard for me,” Lee said, with a huge smile.
Note from the author: I have participated in wine tastings and visited wineries all over the United States and without a doubt, LaNoue DuBois offered tastes I’ve never experienced before. I was honestly astonished by the quality and unique combinations of tastes. I highly recommend stopping by and trying the vintages for yourself.
Jen Wolfe is a freelance contributor for the Montrose Business Times.
