L'Ecole 41 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee 2018
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James
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Robert
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An attractive nose of wild blackberry, plum, sweet tobacco and nutmeg. Full-bodied with firm tannins. Structured with vivid acidity on the palate. Chocolate and black fruit on the mid-palate, followed through a long, flavorful finish. A blend of 56% cabernet sauvignon, 27% merlot, 14% malbec and 3% cabernet franc. Drink in 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Malbec and 3% Cabernet Franc. Elegant oak tones flow from the glass with nuances of Tahitian vanilla, toasted nutmeg and cinnamon with blackberry reduction and plum compote. Full-bodied, the wine's texture is tight-knit, with the oak and fruit essence firmly tied together. This will age gracefully but needs a few more years in bottle to gel together. The wine ends with a long, lingering, complex finish that evolves in the mouth with persistence for more than a minute. The wine spent 22 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. The Apogee will remain food-friendly for years to come; just give it a couple more years in bottle to come around. Bravo! I look forward to revisiting this bottle in a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Malbec and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aromas of black and red licorice, graphite, cocoa, cherry and barrel spices lead to palate-coating, creamy-feeling cherry and chocolate flavors. As always with this vineyard, there is a lot of structure behind the wine. Best after 2027. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Rather brawny in structure but has no shortage of appealing currant, river stone and dusty spice flavors, which build tension toward big but well-integrated tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2023.
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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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.