L´Ecole Ferguson Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Washington 2016
Ferguson Vineyard, with its volcanic subsoil, is one of L’Ecole No 41’s great prides and this wine is their latest single vineyard Bordeaux blend. The composition consists of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 6% Malbec. The wine is aged for 22 months in small barrels of French oak, of which 50% are new.
The family-owned winery L’Ecole is housed in the Walla Walla Valley; an enclave encircled by the greater AVA, the Colombia Valley in eastern Washington. Here the hours of sunshine are many, and there is a long way between rain showers. In fact, the area gets up to 60 minutes more sunshine a day on average than Napa Valley! In return, the valley cools down at night by the cool mountain air of the nearby Blue Mountains. The large temperature difference between night and day provides ideal conditions for fully ripe fruit that still has acidity and structure intact.
As a 3rd generation winemaker, L’Ecole has both tradition and know-how, and over time the house has become the banner bearer for sustainable wine production in the region.