L'ecole

L'Ecole

L'Ecole was recommended to us by the lady at Woodward Canyon. It is a beautiful stand alone building that used to be a school and it becomes obvious as you walk in. We walked up the lacquered creaky wooden stairs that led us to the main room a.k.a the tasting room. Decorated with wooden shelves laden with wine and some books for the library touch, large windows let in plenty of light into this spacious room.

Wine Tasting 101

Tasting list

Estate Luminesce 2011
This white Bordeaux blend of 67% Semillon and 33% Sauvignon blanc was a bright and even a little creamy. It was later that I found out they were racked in neutral french oak for a little malolactic action. This was a yummy refreshing white with wonderful notes of tropical fruits like passion fruit (both tartness and sweetness), a little touch of honey and bouquet. OOOo

Chardonnay 2011
A buttery chardonnay but unlike the super creamy counterpart in California, this had a smooth mouthfeel with a medium body. This was dry with light acidity. It was not very fruity and it was hard to point at any particular fruit. With plenty of minerality, this had more bouquet than it had fruits. OOOo

Merlot 2009
Tannins! Other than that, it was hard to tell what is going on except for the plum and spices like nutmeg. OOo

Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 
This had an interesting nose that was not something I expected from a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was not a bad smell but it was just different. Perhaps a signature of Washington Cabernet? Well balanced with good acidity and tannins, this young one was juicy with dark fruits like plums. This is unlike the big bold Cabs from California but rather a lighter, more herby and savory with a touch of spice. Hmmmmm. OOOo

Estate Perigee 2009
A bordeaux that was a little on the tannic side to taste much else. OO

Apogee 2009
This was made from grapes cooler climate than was expected. Even so, this was an earthy herby bordeaux blend that had a kick of spice and raspberry jamminess. OOO

Syrah 2009
This was an interesting one that got me confused about 2009 for Walla Walla. I was told that these Syrahs were obtained from a warmer climate so with the warmer evenings, comes more sugar development. The end result is a juicy, jammy wine with plenty of residual sugar. It was interesting to get a peppery syrah with a blend of maple syrup and raspberry.  I don't know how I feel about savory pancakes just yet. OOo

School snacks

Overall, L'Ecole had some wonderful wines and I cannot get over how pretty the place was. I am pretty sure we got the Syrah to do some back to back Syrah tastings just for funsies and a half bottle of Chardonnay which I enjoyed! Next up, the very peculiar man at Three Rivers Winery.