L’Ecole № 41 sets its sights on global fame for Walla Walla wine
Based in Washington’s Walla Walla Valley AVA, L’Ecole № 41 has pioneered quality in the Pacific Northwest since 1983. Yet with a programme of transformation underway and a visit to Wine Paris planned, its ambitions are increasingly international.
When L’Ecole № 41 began operations in 1983, it was only the third winery in Walla Walla Valley, and the region was still a year off achieving AVA status. Even at the state level, it was a pioneer, the 20th winery to open.
All that is pretty impressive for a retirement project. The winery was originally just that: an endeavour taken up by Jean and Baker Ferguson on retirement. A global reputation was far off the agenda in those early years.
Yet, knowing the family’s history, it is plain to see where the drive to success came from. Baker’s great-grandparents came to the state in the mid-1860s, founding the state’s first bank, operating various entrepreneurial ventures and even donating the land for the local college. Underachieving, it seems, is not in the DNA.
The drive for success has been passed through the generations. Jean and Baker’s daughter, Megan, joined in 1989, alongside her husband, Marty Clubb, who became head owner and winemaker. The next generation and their partners joined in time. Now, the fourth generation is even represented, working in the tasting room.
L’Ecole № 41 has become part of the tapestry of Washington wine. Perhaps it was always destined to be so; its building – a charming French Canadian schoolhouse for which the winery is named – invites the suggestion that it is now a part of the state’s winemaking history, to be carefully stewarded by each generation.
Yet L’Ecole № 41 is also undergoing a subtle transformation. With new hires in key roles, a methodical programme of improvement and an increasingly ambitious outlook, the winery is preparing for substantial opportunities still to come.
Realising Washington’s potential
The trajectory of L’Ecole № 41 has always been clear: high-quality expressions of Walla Walla Valley terroirs. From its first wine – a gold medal-winning 1983 vintage Merlot – to its Ferguson 2011 winning the International Trophy for Best Bordeaux Varietal(s) over £15 at the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards, the winery has secured accolades across the decades.
That is the result of hard work, particularly from Marty Clubb over his 37 vintages in Washington state. However, it is also down to the winery’s philosophy, a habit of attending to each vineyard’s unique character and prioritising balance in the winemaking.
“Our two estate vineyards – Seven Hills Vineyard and Ferguson Vineyard – comprise about half of all the fruit we take in,” explains chief operating officer Ryan Pennington, “so first and foremost we want to express the unique terroir of each site.”
The two sites, even though they sit on the same slope, vary in elevation, soil and microclimate. The winery team therefore tends them carefully, with a hands-on approach, pruning to achieve the correct yield or thinning the foliage to redirect the vine’s energy. In each, the approach is responsive to the site.
Similarly, care is the watchword in the winery. “In the cellar, our guiding principle is always balance,” says Pennington. Since the warm climate provides reliably ripe grapes, the team focuses on careful treatment to avoid over-extraction, such as gentle destemming and punching down. There is also relatively little new oak, to avoid overshadowing the purity of the fruit.
“L’Ecole № 41 wines are known for balance and finesse,” explains Pennington, “but with ample fruit and structure and high natural acidity – all components that lead to graceful aging over many decades.”
Steady evolution
Those guiding principles – terroir expression and balanced winemaking, have held true for more than four decades. There is still, however, room to finesse the winemaking.
Pennington summarises: “The family takes a very thoughtful, long-term approach to everything that it does. Since founding L’Ecole № 41 in 1983, the family has been very diligent about planning for the long term – planting and investing in our estate vineyards; thoughtful design of and investment in the cellar; and a slow, methodical approach to growth, always prioritizing wine quality above all else.”
In the vineyards, that includes a very gradual process of replanting. Having learned over the years what each site needs, L’Ecole № 41 is undergoing a decades-long process of replanting individual blocks. The new vines are varieties and clones specifically chosen to respond to the site.
“Everything starts with the wines themselves,” comments Pennington, “which of course means that everything starts with our vineyards.”
The other key development is in personnel. Pennington joined the winery as chief operating officer in July 2023, bringing two decades of experience with him, including at Washington’s own Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
David Rosenthal, meanwhile, brings 20 years of experience from Napa Valley, Oregon, Australia, New Zealand, and Washington State (including Chateau Ste. Michelle). He joined last November as director of winemaking, and is now responsible for upholding L’Ecole № 41’s high standards.
Though not appointed from within the family, the two have arrived precisely to safeguard L’Ecole № 41’s identity as a family estate, making sure that the winery is in top shape for generations of family ownership.
Partner Content
Moreover, their appointments are evidence of new-found ambition at the winery. Having secured national distribution, as well as some key international targets, the team has a hunger to put its Washington wines alongside the world’s finest on global markets.
Turning to the world
L’Ecole № 41 has no doubt been a success story. That is clear from the accolades secured over 43 vintages, as well as the wines’ presence in nearly two dozen markets across North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
However, with Washington wines still sitting somewhat under-the-radar on the global stage, there is still ample opportunity for growth.
L’Ecole № 41 will exhibit at Wine Paris next week, a meeting place for the world’s wine trade. Having recently entered new markets in northern and eastern Europe, it is an ideal meeting place for supporting those new partners.
Moreover, it gives the winery the chance to make new contacts and open fresh markets, as it recently did in Southeast Asia.
Particularly high on the agenda is the UK. After the winery’s previous long-term partner closed its doors, Pennington and the team are keen to find the right new partner to bring the wines to the UK. Having been in the market nearly 30 years, it has been a disruption, but now presents itself as an opportunity to build a new long-term relationship.
Pennington concludes: “As we continue to explore new markets around the world, we are carefully selecting partners in each market who share our long-term vision for promoting the quality of wines from Washington State and the unique position that L’Ecole № 41 holds in our region.”
Patrick Schmitt MW recently blind-tasted a selection of L’Ecole № 41’s wines and provides his tasting notes below.
L’Ecole № 41 Sémillon 2024
- Region: Columbia Valley
- Country: USA
- Grape Variety: 85% Sémillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: $20 / £15
Delicate yet expressive nose showing ripe orchard fruit — apple and pear — with a gentle hint of peach. The palate has a pleasing sense of weight balanced by a fresh, tangy finish and fine, dry tannins. A lovely combination of subtle oiliness and brightness. Layers of ripe citrus and pineapple emerge, alongside understated vanilla pod and a touch of creaminess. Well balanced with good depth and persistence. Despite some richness, the lasting impression is of a crisp, bright and highly drinkable wine.
L’Ecole № 41 Chenin Blanc 2024
- Region: Yakima Valley
- Country: USA
- Grape Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: $20 / £15
Aromatic and inviting, with lemon, ripe pear and hints of peach. The palate is ripe yet fresh, showing apple, pear and touches of pineapple, with a slightly honeyed note adding interest. A gentle richness develops mid-palate, with beeswax and then a fine-grained hint of tannin on the finish. Powerful and peachy, yet balanced by freshness and a crisp apple-driven close. Dry overall, with real persistence and complexity. An engaging, layered wine that’s very easy to keep drinking.
L’Ecole № 41 Merlot 2022
- Region: Columbia Valley
- Country: USA
- Grape Variety: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec
- ABV: 14.5%
- RRP: $30 / £23
Ripe and expressive without being heavy, bursting with sweet cherry and dark berry fruit. Medium-bodied with fine, dry, slightly grainy tannins that give a chewy but fresh texture. Flavours of dark cherry, blackberry and plum are lifted by freshness and a hint of cherry stone on the finish. Although dominated by ripe fruit, this is a balanced, drinkable wine, with a subtle touch of sage. Almost Grenache-like in its red-fruited character. A lovely, well-proportioned wine with good persistence.
L’Ecole № 41 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
- Region: Columbia Valley
- Country: USA
- Grape Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- ABV: 14.5%
- RRP: $35 / £26
A vibrant mix of plum, raspberry and red cherry, with ripe sweetness balanced by a taut, grainy and dry finish. Medium-bodied and lively rather than heavy, with firm tannins and good structure. Notes of chocolate, cedarwood, vanilla and subtle blackcurrant appear alongside floral violet and a hint of dried mint. Chewy and youthful, with touches of pencil shaving and cassis on the finish. Fresh, energetic and well balanced, with a gentle warmth.
L’Ecole № 41 Ferguson 2022
- Region: Walla Walla Valley
- Country: USA
- Grape Variety: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot
- ABV: 14.5%
- RRP: $80 / £60
A creamy, ripe and expressive nose of milk chocolate and sweet red and dark berry fruit. The palate then shows a Bordeaux-like firm, dry structure but with extra ripeness and generosity. Grippy, slightly grainy tannins frame flavours of cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant, alongside vanilla, coconut and chocolate notes. Long, balanced and very drinkable, with a dry finish and refreshing tannin. Subtle hints of plum, cherry stone and bay leaf add complexity. A serious, elegant wine with excellent ageing potential, though already showing beautifully.
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