L’Ecole Harvest Team "The Best Yet"

Led by veteran winemaker Mike Sharon, our eight person harvest crew is clearly our best ever! The guys have fermented up a spectacular quality vintage, and not without challenges. Our cool spring resulted in a late season kickoff with first fruit picked on September 11th. A mid-October frost and Halloween harvest on some of our cooler sites demanded fast action and one mad sprint that saw more than 60 tons from 7 vineyards all harvested in one day. Equipped with picking bins, fermenters, forklifts, tanks and barrels, the distinctive mark in higher quality comes from our team’s quick, experienced attention to detail that keeps us in front of the curve. From yeast and nutrient selection, each lot is managed for fermentation temperature and hydrometer reading, with a focus on cap management for optimal flavor and phenolic extraction. The combined experience of this year’s team has helped us micro-manage 90 different vineyard lots from 30 vineyard sites for a whopping 575 tons. This seven day per week 24/7 commitment to quality is what takes our wines to the next level. Our full time production staff of four was augmented by some exceptional help, all shown here on this page. Jeff Briggs spent this last spring working harvest at Murray Street Vineyards in Australia. In return, Murray Street’s Craig Viney spent a month with us sharing invaluable insights and experiences. My role turns to the vineyards in the fall to monitor fruit maturity and bring in the fruit at its optimum state; all done in concert with each vineyard manager. During the course of the season, this means more than 1,000 samples are pulled and analyzed for Brix, acidity, pH, color extract and flavor development (and 10,000 miles on my car in six weeks!). Tired and exhausted, the L’Ecole harvest team’s significant contribution is the tipping point for quality, making us one of the best wineries in Washington State!

Holiday Gift Giving
Lovers of wine on your shopping list will be thrilled to find a bottle of award winning L’Ecole No 41 awaiting their glass. If you are thinking of sending a gift of wine to friends, family and business associates this holiday season, we are here to help. You will find many gift packs at www.lecole.com or create your own.

Not sure which of our wines is their favorite? Consider a L’Ecole No 41 Gift Card and let them choose!

Order wine by December 16th for Christmas delivery via ground service to most parts of the U.S. Call for express shipping deadlines. Orders may be placed at www.lecole.com, e-mail jaime@lecole.com or call Jaime at 509.525.0940.

Early Bird Extra Credit
Place your order on our website before November 21 and a $10 shipping credit will be included on the order. Enter EARLY in the Promocode Field during checkout to receive your credit. Want to order now, but ship later? No problem, just enter the desired approximate delivery date in the Special Shipping Instructions Field when placing your order at www.lecole.com. $50 order minimum.

Wine Club Gift Memberships
With a Vins de L’Ecole Wine Club Gift Membership, your friends and family will thank you not just once, but three times per year as they enjoy the benefits of membership. Members receive three wine selections from L’Ecole each year (April, September, & November) along with order discounts, complimentary tasting at the winery, access to Wine Club Member Only Bottlings and invitations to special events. Give a gift membership today and tell us when you would like the first selection sent. See www.lecole.com for more information or call Jaime at 509.525.0940.

Walla Walla Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend
Open House: Friday • Saturday • Sunday
December 5, 6 & 7 • 10 am – 5 pm

Come visit the Schoolhouse with its shimmering lights and festive greens and enjoy our December wine releases. Wines will be paired with exquisite cheeses along with our celebrated salmon mousse from Raphael’s Restaurant of Pendleton, OR.

Barrel taste in the cellar and preview the 2007 vintages of Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Perigee and Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee.

Wine Club members are encouraged to visit Jaime at the Wine Club Concierge Table for a special holiday taste!

In the spirit of giving, fill L’Ecole No 41 library shelves with children’s books or make a donation to benefit local school reading programs. The winery will match your generous donation and we’ll send you home with a L’Ecole No 41 bookmark. Last year we donated over $450. Thank you!

Calendar of Events

Dec. 4	Winemakers’ Fête, Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center, Walla Walla Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting
Dec. 5-7	Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting 2009
Jan. 29	Taste Washington Tokyo
Feb. 2	Taste Walla Walla New York, NY Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting
Feb. 20	Taste Washington Austin, TX www.washingtonwine.org
March 1	L’Ecole No 41 Wine Club Event, Portland, OR Look for your invitation via email in early 2009
March 2	Taste Walla Walla Portland, OR Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting
March 7	Classic Wines Auction, Portland, OR www.classicwinesauction.com
April 3	L’Ecole No 41 Wine Club Event, Seattle area Look for your invitation via email in early 2009
April 4, 5	Taste Washington Seattle, WA www.washingtonwine.org
April 17,18	Taste Washington Denver, CO www.washingtonwine.org
May 1,2,3	Spring Release Weekend, Walla Walla Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting
May 12-14	London Wine Fair
June 5, 6	Vintage Walla Walla Walla Walla Valley Holiday Barrel Tasting

2006 Perigee & Apogee

2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Perigee
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
1,627 cases
Perigee exemplifies this vineyard’s characteristic cedary, richly structured elegance. Polished with perfumed aromas of exotic spice, velvety blackberry and silky black cherry fruit, this wine has an earthy, chalky minerality which exudes power and grace on a spicy pepper finish.

2006 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee
46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc
1,748 cases
Boldy aromatic, Apogee has spicy aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg, earthy hints of sweet tobacco and leather, and smoky dark fruit packed with a chocolate, mint and cherry finish.

Winery of the Year & Hall of Fame
We are once again delighted to be named Winery of Year by Wine & Spirits Magazine. In addition, they recognized us in their Hall of Fame as a consistently performing winery for seven consecutive years. This is an honor of which we are most proud! W&S editors featured our two top scoring 93 point wines, 2005 Apogee and 2005 Perigee.

New Wine Releases

2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
4,805 cases
With a classic varietal Cabernet profile, this lushly structured and integrated wine shows dark fruit, blackberry, cassis and leather aromas with flavors of ripe plum, bittersweet chocolate and black cherry on an earthy, spicy finish.

2006 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
1,785 cases
This complex and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the diversity of terroir in the Walla Walla Valley from vineyards planted in wind-blown loess, ice-age flood silts and basalt river rock. Its elegant, old world structure and dense, dark fruit flavors show cassis, blackberry, plum and cocoa with earthy leather, tobacco and savory spice on a beautifully balanced, toasty finish.

2007 recess red
50% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc
3,878 cases
A fun, drink-me-now table wine with fruity aromas of red cherry, plum and cola. The ripe, cherry flavors and well-integrated tannins of this great food wine will have you reaching for a second glass.

2007 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Semillon · Late Harvest
100% Semillon
80 cases · 375ml
The fall harvest of our Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Semillon was October 3rd. We left a small half-acre block to hang for the potential of making a dessert wine. The fruit for this Late Harvest Estate Semillon was harvested on January 15, 2008 at 50° Brix. This luscious, sweet golden nectar shows intense floral aromas of pineapple, orange blossom and honeysuckle with ripe pear flavors on a deliciously sweet, spicy, mineral finish.

Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend
If you are planning to visit the winery during this weekend, please stop by the Wine Club Concierge Table. Jaime is planning a special holiday taste for our members!

Inside Your Box, a gift for you!
Inside your November Wine Club Selection, you will receive two special cards! The first is your Membership Card which entitles you to complimentary tasting when visiting the winery. The second is a L’Ecole No 41 $10 Gift Card that may be used toward a purchase made on our website, over the phone, or when visiting the winery. Sorry, the gift card may not be applied to future automatic Wine Club Selections.

Vin Blanc members will receive their cards in the mail.

Save the Date
Spring 2009 Road Trips
Look for your invitation to our annual Wine Club Road Trips via email in early 2009. RSVPs will be accepted once the email invitation is sent.

Do we have your e-mail address on file? Double check by emailing jaime@lecole.com.