L’Ecole No.41 Presentation and Wine Tasting at Vinum55 Chandler
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Two weeks ago, attended the L’Ecole No.41 presentation and wine tasting given by Annie Wallace. Upon entering each attendee was given a tasting of 2024 L’Ecole No.41 Chenin Blanc. This was extremely refreshing, a perfect opening on a warm and humid day with a beautiful bouquet with a slight sweet finish and complexity derived from ancient vines that were grafted.
Picture from L’Ecole website
Annie went into the history of L’Ecole No.41 being the oldest winery in Walla Walla in Washington. The word L’Ecole in French means schoolhouse and the No. 41 was the designation of the school district from 1915. The original owners were enthralled with the French countryside and so named the winery. When the schoolhouse was moved to the winery, they added a second story which today is one of their two tasting facilities. Annie went into a detailed geological background showing the ancient activities that produced a unique soil, wind and weather condition for the estate. Wine Enthusiast has named L’Ecole in the top 100 wineries in the USA a total of eighteen times.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The second wine was a 2024 L’Ecole Frenchtown Sauvignon Blanc. This was wonderfully quaffable with soft citrus on the nose. This was only their second vintage and was aged in both stainless steel and neutral French barrel, then combined for bottling. The taste was almost “too soft” to be a Sauvignon Blanc, but very easy to enjoy solo without food.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Up next was the highlight of the evening for me being their 2022 L’Ecole Columbia Valley Merlot. It was 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Franc for good measure. It was described as having oak tannins with new world fruit. First was the dark and mysterious coloring, followed by fruit forward flavors including plum and dark cherries counterbalanced by a skosh of pepper. The deep coloring was explained by the wide temperature providing a thicker skin than normal which also boosted the tannins providing a tad cranberry quality on the finish. This was not a Merlot talked about in “Sideways”, but rather a “kick ass” Merlot. If you are Merlot fan, this is one worthy of trying.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Next was the 2022 L’Ecole Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This used 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes giving it’s a truly remarkable coloring in the glass. It was a balanced wine with softness and tannins kept in check. Wish it had a more noticeable aroma to make it an exquisite wine. That stated it was still a very solid and enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
We then moved on to the last two wines which were blends. The first being the 2022 L’Ecole Apogee. This is a Bordeaux style wine made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. The vineyard used was from ancient lava flows, bedrock basalt and alluvial soil. This single vineyard designated wine provided structure, a “chewy quality” and noticeable tannins which were all very appreciated.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Another blend followed being the 2022 L’Ecole Ferguson with a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. This vineyard has volcanic soil producing concentrated berries giving the imbiber a sharp taste with a tad sharper finish. This wine was given the Decanter Award as the Best Bordeaux in the World with a 98-point score.
All the wines this evening were especially enjoyable with 4 out of 6 making my quality level to be included in the cellar. These were remarkable in providing more depth and elegance than many I personally had previously tasted from Washington.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwineries.com