Spring 2010
Authentically "Old School"
Walla Walla, WA
I don’t know of a business that hasn’t felt the
impact of our country’s economic downturn.
It has
taken its toll on the wine industry, slowing the ultra premium
tier and giving many of us pause to look back, examine our
strengths and weaknesses and refocus our plans for the
future. For L’Ecole, this soul searching has been surprisingly
enriching and oddly encouraging as we begin to see light
at the end of a long tunnel. In fact, we feel poised to
gain ground on our already stellar reputation as one of
Washington’s preeminent, ultra premium wine brands.
As one of the first pioneering wineries in
Washington State, we have reason to be proud. Founded 27 years ago,
L’Ecole was the 3rd winery in the Walla Walla Valley and the 20th winery in Washington
State. Today there are more than 100 in Walla Walla and nearly 700 in Washington.
Our reputation from the beginning was built around quality and consistency, some
due to our hard work and diligence, and some God-given. We acknowledge the latter
first, as it sets the stage for great performance among many vineyards and wineries across
Washington State. Unrelenting and incessant sunshine, mineral-rich glacial soils, dry arid
growing conditions, hard winters, and hot summers create a virtual paradise for growing grapes and
making wine - or as the Washington Wine Commission says, the Perfect Climate for Wine.
So what does L’Ecole No 41 do to build on this foundation? First, we are authentically “old school.”
L’Ecole is a traditional brick and mortar winery, engaged in growing and making 100% of our wines,
from Recess Red up through the tiers to our pinnacle Apogee and Perigee. All of our wines are handmade
with a commitment to quality in the winery and vineyards which is fundamental to everything we
do. We are picky. We push our winemaking team and vineyard managers hard - to challenge assumptions
and strive to produce better fruit and better wine year after year. We are experienced - 27 years of raising
the performance bar. We are time tested, with some of the oldest, most proven vineyards in Walla
Walla and Washington State (the envy of many upstarts). These advantages and traditional practices are
paradoxically juxtaposed against a practice of innovation, with intricately detailed winemaking backed
up with the use of modern technology and lab science to insure the utmost quality. In Walla Walla we
practice sustainable farming, using biology based soil science to improve the quality of our soils, vines,
fruit and ultimately our wines. Proudly, we are now 100% certified sustainable and certified Salmon Safe
in all of our vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley and our labels will soon include this statement!
Our focus on quality extends across our entire portfolio of wines and the vineyards we work
alongside. The tenure, integrity, and passionate commitment of all our growers are the backbone of our
reputation for reliable, consistent, award-winning wines. We look forward to introducing some of our
vineyard partners beginning with our oldest, Sagemoor Vineyards.
Reserve your place on the Honor Roll at L’Ecole No 41
Experience a one-of-a-kind
private tasting in the cellar of the
historic Frenchtown Schoolhouse.
A combination of five wines including
new releases, limited production,
library and/or reserve wines
will be presented exclusively to
Honor Roll attendees. An informative
tour of production facilities and
grounds will be included.
$25 per person
$10 for wine club members
Friday afternoon, April 2nd through November 26th, 2pm-3pm (Excluding 4/30 & 11/5). Limited to 15 people, reservations required
Contact Tasting Room Manager Brandon Kubrock at (509) 525.0940 ext. 111 or
brandon@lecole.com
Vineyard Spotlight – Sagemoor Vineyards
Founded in 1968, Sagemoor Vineyards was one of the first pioneering commercial vineyards to put
the Washington State wine industry on the map. It is comprised of four vineyards: Sagemoor; Bacchus;
and Dionysus, located north of the Tri-Cities on the east bank of the Columbia River; and Weinbau on
the Wahuluke Slope. We started working with Sagemoor our very first year, 1983, and have been a client
ever since. With some of the first plantings in Washington, some of our oldest vines are from Bachhus
and Dionysus (1972). We have acre contracts from these vineyards of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc. A little of this great fruit is sprinkled throughout our Columbia
Valley wines. General Manager, Kent Waliser and Vineyard Manager, Derek Way work hard to meet the
demands of rigorous winemakers like Mike and me. Thank you, Sagemoor Vineyards, for helping us
create spectacular wines!!
New Releases Plus A New Wine
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon • Walla Walla Valley
100% Cabernet Sauvignon • 2,327 cases
This complex and elegant Cab reflects the diversity of terroir in the
Walla Walla Valley from vineyards planted in wind-blown loess (our
Estate Seven Hills and Loess Vineyards), ice-age flood silts (Va Piano
and Pepper Bridge Vineyards) and basalt river rock (Yellow Jacket).
These prestigious vineyards are Certified Sustainable and Certified
Salmon Safe.
Its elegant, old world structure and dense, dark fruit flavors show blackberry
and plum with flavors of cassis, dark cherry, earth and savory herbs on a
beautifully balanced finish.
2007 Apogee • Pepper Bridge Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc • 1,630 cases
L’Ecole celebrated the first vintage of Apogee in 1993. It was also
the first wine made from Pepper Bridge Vineyard fruit. Consistently
a highly celebrated wine, we believe vine age, improved vineyard
management and winemaking practices ratchet up each vintage
another notch on the quality scale. Robert Parker’s The Wine
Advocate validated our efforts in the October 31, 2009 issue by
awarding 94 points to the 2006 Apogee!
The 2007 is boldly aromatic with aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg, earthy
hints of sweet tobacco and leather, and smoky dark fruit packed with
chocolate, mint and cherry fruit on a richly balanced and integrated finish.
2009 Grenache Rosé • Alder Ridge Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills
100% Grenache • 100 cases
We’ve been working with Alder Ridge Vineyard Grenache for several
years and it is an important component of our Columbia Valley Syrah.
Our production team recognized this fruit as a great candidate for
Rosé and we’re excited to present our first vintage. The grapes were
cold-soaked on their skins for four days, then gently pressed and
barrel-fermented. The vibrant color conveys concentrated flavors
and a full-body wine. It is exclusively available for purchase at the
winery or from lecole.com.
A perfect summer sipping Rosé, it is fresh and crisp, showing perfumed
aromatics with just-picked flavors of raspberry and strawberry with hints of
rose petal and a rich citrus zest.
2009 “Walla Voila” Chenin Blanc Washington State
100% Chenin Blanc • 2,536 cases
This fresh, tart and delightfully fruity Chenin Blanc is your perfect
summer partner. In the past, this has been a limited production wine.
In 2009, we were able to acquire the remaining old vine acreage
(planted 1979) at Willard Family Farms, growing our case production
to just over 2,500 cases. The good news…hopefully this wine will now
be available to you year-round!
This wine shows Asian pear, perfumed honeysuckle and orange blossom
aromas with flavors of apple, apricot, and grapefruit on a crisp mineral, lightly sweet finish.
Apogee & Perigee Retrospective Tasting
November 6, 2009
Last November Vins de L’Ecole Wine Club members joined
winemakers, Marty Clubb and Mike Sharon, at the winery for an
unprecedented retrospective tasting of our Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee
and Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Perigee. We started with the 1997 vintage of
Apogee and worked our way to the 2006, selecting a total of seven wines to
taste. You may find these observations useful as you consider your own cellar:
Apogee and Perigee both benefit from cellar time. While current
vintages may be enjoyed now, each wine becomes more expressive after a few
years in the cellar. We recommend trying a current vintage now and laying
down a few bottles to taste over the next 15 or so years.
Increased vine age and improved vineyard and winemaking practices
continue to strengthen the foundation of Apogee and Perigee. We are finding
increased complexity and structure with each vintage which ultimately
benefits the cellaring potential of these wines. In other words, if you have
enjoyed well-cellared Apogee over the years, you are really going to love the
more recent vintages of Apogee and Perigee in the years to come!
Member News
Spring Release Wine Club Tasting L’Ecole No 41 Winery
Friday, April 30 • 10:00am – 5:00pm
You are invited to escape the crowds and join us in the Schoolhouse
Cellar to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and our new releases along with a
special surprise! We will be tasting:
- 2009 “Walla Voila” Chenin Blanc
- 2009 Grenache Rosé
- 2007 Apogee • Pepper Bridge Vineyard
- 2007 Syrah • Columbia Valley
Guests of members are welcome! Please RSVP to
jaime@lecole.com or (509) 525.0940
Estate Vineyards Field Trip
Friday April 30 • 2:00pm
This is your chance to join Marty on a field trip to our two Estate vineyards — Seven Hills Vineyard and Ferguson
Ridge! The field trip starts at the winery where you will board a coach to the vineyards. Once in the vineyards,
you will soak up the beautiful vistas while tasting our Estate wines in the place they originate. Learn first-hand,
exactly what sets these sites apart. This is not like any other school field trip you may remember!
Details- The Field Trip is by reservation only. Space is first come, first served. Cost: $10/person for Wine Club Members
& $20/person for guests. To reserve your spot, call (509) 525.0940 or e-mail jaime@lecole.com. The bus will return to the
winery at approximately 4:30 pm.
Wine Club Programs
Want to make the most of your wine club discounts
spread out the shipping costs? Consider changing
membership level to Gold or Platinum. Call or Jaime
to learn more.
Vin Select:
2 red & 1 white wine selections per shipment
3 shipments/year (Apr, Sept, & Nov)
Argent (Silver) ~ One bottle of each selection per shipment
$75-110/shipment + tax & shipping
Or (Gold) ~ One case split equally among selections
per shipment
$300-400/shipment + tax & shipping
Platine (Platinum) ~ One case of each selection per shipment
$775-1125/shipment + tax & shipping
Vin Rouge:
2 red wine selections per shipment
3 shipments/year (Apr, Sept, & Nov)
Argent (Silver) ~ One bottle of each selection per shipment
$54-90/shipment + tax & shipping
Or (Gold) ~ One case split equally among selections per shipment
$300-500/shipment + tax & shipping
Platine (Platinum) ~ One case of each selection per shipment
$600-950/shipment + tax & shipping
Vin Blanc:
2-3 white wine selections per shipment
2 shipments/year (Apr & Sept)
Argent (Silver) ~ One bottle of each selection per shipment
$30-50/shipment + tax & shipping
Or (Gold) ~ One case split equally among selections
per shipment
$160-170/shipment + tax & shipping
Platine (Platinum) ~ One case of each selection per shipment
$320-510/shipment + tax & shipping
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