Winemaker's Comments
L’Ecole N° 41 is recognized as one of Washington State’s top producers of premium Merlot and this estate vineyard blend represents our best. The elegance and old world structure of Seven Hills Vineyard adds complexity to the earthiness and minerality of the basalt soil from Ferguson.
Fractured basalt – Estate Ferguson Vineyard 50%
Wind-blown loess – Estate Seven Hills Vineyard 50%
Tasting Notes
This expressive, well-structured Merlot reveals opulent aromatics of dark cherry and blackberry, pipe tobacco, savory cedar, and roasted figs, completed with a touch of sage. Its ripe rich texture is laced with delicate graphite notes, along with bitter chocolate and plum, grounded with ample polished tannins.
Critical Acclaim
JS94 James Suckling
Notes of raspberry, plum and nutmeg. It’s medium-bodied with plush tannins. Chalky texture on the palate with juicy character. Velvety and balanced with a long, flavorful finish. Firmness at the end.
JD92 Jeb Dunnuck
Including 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Merlot Walla Walla Valley gives up a delicious, medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling style as well as loads of pure black cherry and currant fruits, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and subtle tobacco, cedarwood, and chocolatey aromas and flavors. As with all the wines from L'Ecole No. 41, it has a classic, balanced, Old World vibe while still bringing beautiful fruit. Drink it over the coming 10-12 years or more.
RP92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with the addition of 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Merlot Walla Walla Valley begins with enticing aromas of baking spices, vanilla, sweet cardamom and nutmeg before displaying juicy plum tones with elements of dark cherry and dried sage. Medium to full-bodied, the Merlot offers a delicious juicy frame of fruit that exudes oak spices before fine-grained tannins lift the mid-palate. The wine concludes with a delightfully lingering finish that drinks like a bottle of wine almost three times its price. The wine fermented in small French barrels, 35% new, before resting 18 months in oak. Bravo! This is a steal at this price. Just under 13,000 bottles were produced.
WE90 Wine Enthusiast
Equal parts Seven Hills and Ferguson Vineyard fruit, this wine is settling into the bottle. Still, there is immediate appeal to the aromas of raspberry, flower, cedar and spice. The palate paints around the edges initially, with the middle filling in over time. It's almost tangy out of the gate, settling with time. The tannins give it a grainy structure. The pieces are all there but need time to come together.
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