L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot 2019

  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 90 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 90 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
3.8 Very Good (20)
2020 Vintage In Stock
42 99
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L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot 2019  Front Bottle Shot
L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot 2019  Front Bottle Shot L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot 2019  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2019

Size
750ML

ABV
14.5%

Features
Green Wine

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

This expressive Merlot reveals opulent aromatics of dark cherry and blackberry, fresh Mission figs, savory cedar, and coffee bean, completed with rose and a touch of sage. Its ripe rich texture is laced with delicate graphite notes, along with dark chocolate and plum, grounded with ample polished tannins. Altogether well-structured, it finishes fresh and focused.

Blend: 84% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon

Professional Ratings

  • 94

    Aromas of baked plum, nutmeg, red licorice and suede. Full-bodied with fine tannins. Bright acidity. Juicy and balanced, with very good clarity and transparency. White pepper and clove add welcome complexity.

  • 92
    This wine is a 50-50 split of Ferguson and Seven Hills Vineyards. The aromas are reserved, with notes of tea leaf, raspberry and cherry. The flavors are supple, showing polish, freshness and appeal. Fine-grained tannins back it all up. It's a pretty wine but don't be fooled—there's plenty of substance behind it.
  • 90
    Tightly wound and firmly structured, this Walla Walla merlot has a leafy, spiced-tobacco scent—a classic Walla Walla marker. It’s powerful and lavishly oaked, needing time in the cellar to unwind. Then serve it with a plate of chicken sausages.
  • 90

    I loved the 2019 Merlot Estate, a ripe, plump, wonderfully balanced Merlot that has classic darker cherry and currant fruits as well as spicy, herbal, chocolaty nuances. This medium-bodied, round, balanced beauty can be drunk any time over the coming decade. Best After 2022

  • 90

    Sinewy in structure, with focused black currant, tobacco and spice flavors that finish with a tannic bite.

Other Vintages

2020
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Decanter
  • 93 Vinous
  • 91 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Wine
    Enthusiast
2018
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Wine
    Enthusiast
2017
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 91 Wine
    Enthusiast
2016
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Wine &
    Spirits
2015
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 91 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
L'Ecole 41

L'Ecole 41

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L'Ecole 41, Washington
L'Ecole 41 Winery Video

Founded in 1983 in the Walla Walla Valley, L'Ecole No 41 is one of Washington State's most iconic and oldest family-owned wineries. Housed in the historic Frenchtown School depicted on our label, we have earned international acclaim for producing distinctive wines of the highest quality. We craft ultra-premium wines that reflect the unmistakable typicity of Washington State and the unique terroir of our Walla Walla Valley vineyards.

Growing and making 100% of our wines, each bottle is handcrafted with a commitment to quality in the vineyards and the winery. More than three decades of winemaking experience, ongoing investments in our Walla Walla Estate Ferguson and Seven Hills Vineyards, and long term relationships with many of the most prominent vineyards in Washington State are central to our well-known reputation for quality and consistency across our wine portfolio. These tenets will continue to sustain L'Ecole well into the future. 

L'Ecole is one of the most honored wineries in Washington State. We are proud to be recognized by Wine & Spirits Magazine as a Top 100 Winery of the Year for fourteen consecutive years. In 2014, Decanter awarded our 2011 Estate Ferguson the International Trophy for Best Bordeaux Blend in the World! In 2016, the 2013 Ferguson won the International Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend from the Six Nations Wine Challenge.

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With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

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Walla Walla Valley Wine

Columbia Valley, Washington

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Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.

The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.

It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.

Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.

WWH167459_2019 Item# 971273

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