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Spring 2003 Dear Friends of the Winery,We have much to be thankful for in 2003, as we gear up to celebrate our 20th Anniversary at L'Ecole Nš 41. In the fall of 1983, Jean and Baker Ferguson launched the humble beginning of our winery, crushing and fermenting 25 tons of Merlot and Semillon in the basement of the old schoolhouse. Megan and I were fortunate to have been part of that first harvest, working one long weekend with her parents, punching down reds, climbing in and out of stainless steel tanks, and pulling hoses to fill wine barrels. Looking at the old photos brings back fond memories, a few tears, and many laughs, particularly of Jean's bare legs peeking through an open man-way as she scrubbed a tank for the next load of grapes. The Ferguson's lifetime dream came true when their 1983 Merlot was awarded a Gold Medal by Angelo Gaja and Warren Winiarski, judges for the Pacific Northwest Enological Society. A few years ago, we sadly lost Jean to cancer. In her memory, a guardian angel is now on our label, in the lower right hand corner of the chalkboard. Baker is 84 and active skiing, biking, and consuming his daily allowance of wine. His exercise shirt bears one of his favorite sayings "Life is like a bottle of wine, it gets better with age." We invite you to join us May 3rd and 4th for our Spring Open House or the following weekend to celebrate Walla Walla's 29th Annual Balloon Stampede. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day to showcase our new wine releases. On Friday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 3rd Chef Cristiana Fagioli will prepare an extraordinary dinner expertly pairing our new releases with five innovative courses as detailed on the enclosed menu. We are now accepting reservations for our December 5th and 6th Holiday Barrel Tasting dinners and our fall Harvest Dinners. Call Cindy at the winery (509) 525-0940 for information. The single word descriptor for the 2001 vintage is "consistency," with warm, sunny, and steady weather kick starting harvest the second week of September. The reds are quite showy early on, as you will see with these new releases. The 2001 Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot shows elegant mint and floral aromas, with gripping flavors of blueberry, black cherry and hints of mocha. It is a blend of 80% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc. The 2001 Columbia Valley Merlot is rich and spicy, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet tobacco, balanced with bright blackberry and ripe plum on a peppery black cherry finish. This blend is 79% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Carmenere. The 2000 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet predominately from our Seven Hills Vineyard. Its dark fruit flavors show ripe plum, black cherry, cassis, and sweet cocoa, with firm but nicely balanced tannins and structure. Syrah continues to be the new buzz! With maturing blocks at Seven Hills Vineyard, we have boosted our production of this estate grown wine to 960 cases. The 2001 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah was harvested ultra-ripe, with jammy dark fruit, bright blackberry, and dense flavors. Loaded with pepper and spice, this wine is packed with concentration and unrelenting intensity. The 2002 "Walla Voila" Chenin Blanc is 100% from Willard Farms, planted in 1979. These old vines produce vibrantly fruity and lively Chenin Blanc, with bright floral, citrus, and orange blossom aromas, with flavors of crisp red apple and melon on a zesty finish. Napa and Bordeaux had their comeuppance recently at a blind tasting in New York and then again in Chicago. Washington state triumphed when seventy-five of NY's best sommeliers and wine trade blind tasted eight wines from the 1999 vintage and rank ordered their favorites from 1 to 8. The rankings were:
With such a runaway showing, some questioned the logic of a repeat tasting. I'm delighted to report a similar victory in Chicago the same three Washington wines came out on top, with our Apogee taking 2nd place by one vote behind the Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Kudos to Washington! Spring is busy at the winery where many of us are on the road marketing our wines. In addition to Taste Washington on April 6th in Seattle, L'Ecole Nš 41 participated in Taste Washington in Chicago on March 3rd. Upcoming events include a visit to Tokyo April 22nd and New York May 19th. For the first time, we will also attend Vin Expo in Bordeaux this June along with five other Walla Walla wineries as part of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. Welcome and thanks to the 415 new wine club members who joined Vins de L'Ecole in 2002. Members receive advance shipments of new releases three times a year, and discounts on purchases of wine and merchandise year round. Interested? You may enroll using the enclosed entry form or through our website. I would also like to welcome aboard Cindy Widmer as our new Office Manager and Kacey Kennedy as Cellar Assistant in production. With some great new wines, we hope to see you this spring!
Martin and Megan Clubb, and the staff of L'Ecole Nš 41 |
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