Petits Noirs

This is hands down the best chocolate in the country. I have been all over the world, including very posh places throughout Europe, and nothing compares. The lavender truffles are a must.

Well, the chocolate was delicious and the atmosphere quite appealing, as well, however, it is super pricey. I paid $ 6 for 2 pieces of chocolate in a gift box. But, it was lovely. Worth a splurge if you are in the area for wine tasting and such; exotic flavors and rather unexpected…

This place makes truly Hand-​Crafted Chocolates with a focus on wine-​friendly creations and creative ingredient combinations. Pure ingredients as well as house grown herbs are used often, in addition to local fruits and wines. High Quality Chocolate and no added sugar make for some of the best chocolates to pair with all different varieties of wines.

Do you remember the movie Chocolat (
) from a few years back? Petits Noirs totally reminds me of the Chocolatier from that movie. In the sleepy town of Milton-​Freewater sits an old, simple, and cool-​looking home which houses a world-​class chocolate shop.
I’m a sucker for joints which are out of place and cause for surprise. Petit Noirs is right on the main drag in town, and is a splash of color, creativity, and chocolate.
While venturing down for some Cross-​Country skiing, I happened to drive through Milton-​Freewater, and this joint happened to catch my eye (well, it had been on my radar after Jacqueline Unilocaled about it last year). As I entered this chocolate boutique, I knew I was in for something special. The inside is lushly painted in bright blue & green. Lan Wong was behind the counter and welcomed me to her establishment. She gave me a quick rundown of all of their chocolaty creations: truffles, hot chocolate, brick/​flats of chocolate, high-​heel shoes made of chocolate, REAL hot chocolate, etc.
The truffles are center-​stage and their flavors astound and tickle. There were roughly about a dozen or so different types of chocolate to choose from. I ended up picking many of them (and using as gifts for friends). Here are some of the chocolates which caught my eye: Strawberry Champagne, Sichuan Peppercorn, Pendleton Whiskey, Fresh Fig Espresso, Lichy Rose, Passion Fruit Mango White Chocolate. These options introduce a dilemma: what to pick?!
As for the actual chocolate and the taste. I like it because the flavors are subtle, complex, and metaphorical. They DO taste like their local ingredients, but I found myself being sent to other places with the flavors. Good places.
While shopping around Lan served some other patrons and I some of her thick and chocolaty hot chocolate. Man! Now this was the real stuff. It isn’t that watery cocoa we’re all used to. This was straight up REAL hot chocolate!
While Lan wrapped up chocolates for another customer I explored the boutique more. I liked the soundtrack provided (They were playing tunes from an old school iPod plopped on top of a white-​painted piano).
So yes, you have a classy chocolate boutique in the boonies of Milton-​Freewater. You have a top quality product (Mmmm!). And you have a chance to experience something wholly unique. I highly recommend stopping on by!

With the winery boom in the Walla Walla Valley, came the birth of this beautiful chocolatier — whose creations are meant to be lovingly paired with the varied notes of its local wines.
One of its two founders and magic chocolate weavers is Lan Wong, who hails from New York and has apprencticed with one of New York’s «finest chocolatiers». Lan, along with cofounder James Boulanger, have brought the taste and appreciation for fine chocolate to this sleepy and tranquil town located about 15 minutes from Walla Walla.
There is a small wine tasting room inside the chocolate boutique, where one can sample many varieties of local wines paired with Petits’ chocolate truffles, or samplings of fresh baked bread, Italian salami, or artisanal cheese.
The artfully decorated and painted storefront has a dazzling display of truffles, with flavors ranging from Chili Pepper Strawberry, Lavender, Beer and Pretzels, Rose Cassis Bee Pollen, Hazelnut Gorganzola, to a decadent White Jasmine Pistachio. All of the truffles have such complex and imaginative flavors and flavor combinations that one feels they are tasting chocolate for the first time. A two piece box of truffles starts at $ 6.50, a box of 6 at $ 14. The discerning chocolate lover and/​or wine connaisseur will appreciate that one pays for quality, not quantity, here.
For the less adventurous palate, there are also a great variety of crunchy toffees from the Pumpkin Sesame Seed Butter coated in dark chocolate, to the Butter Buscuit Toffee. A 4 oz. toffee tin can be purchased for $ 12.
European style hot chocolate, as well as chocolate marmalades are also available here.
An inviting couch, facing a bookshelf of all things chocolate, beckons the wine and chocolate taster to recline and delve into the magical world of chocolate.
On your next wine tasting tour through the valley, this will be a definite stop on your itinerary.