Posted by: Kenan Hester, CSW (@VinoKeno)

Friday, we tasted the lineup from an iconic Washington producer, none other than L’Ecole No. 41. The L’Ecole Winery folks are considered by many to be pioneers in the Walla Walla and Columbia Valleys of Washington, where they were the 3rd bonded winery established in the state. The winery is named for the old schoolhouse in Walla Walla, built in 1915, where the winery has made its home since 1983. It is important to note that L’Ecole recently underwent a label change (you can see shots of both the old and new label designs below). It was generally agreed by those who attended that the wines were very nice, but that the reds are built in a style more conducive to aging than drinking young. These wines will definitely benefit from some time in the bottle, and have the structure to age for upwards of 10-15 years. The night’s events went a little something like this:

2010 L’Ecole Chardonnay, Columbia Valley – $19.99
We started off with the Columbia Valley Chardonnay. The wine had fresh, clean flavors with vibrant green apple, tropical fruits and nice mineral notes adding a little richness and complexity. Nice Chardonnay for the price, and not overly oaked by any stretch of the imagination!

2009 L’Ecole Semillon, Columbia Valley – $15.99 (old label pictured left)
The Semillon came second and was easily the crowd favorite among the two whites. Rich and soft with honeysuckle, lychee, and citrus blossom notes. This is not overly weighty, like Semillon can sometimes be, but the wine had nice vibrant acidity which kept the wine light on it’s feet, despite the fuller body.

2009 L’Ecole ‘Red Wine’, Columbia Valley – $19.99
A great value at this pricepoint, this blend contains all 5 grapes of Bordeaux as well as a healthy chunk of Syrah. Red cherry, plum and cola join dark fruits on the palate culminating in a wine that was agreed by most who joined us as the best of the reds for drinking now.

2008 L’Ecole Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley – $31.99
We tasted the Cabernet first because L’Ecole’s Merlot is a monster! This is pretty classically styled Cab, and at this pricepoint makes an excellent bottle to lay down for a few years, without breaking the bank. Aromas of leather saddlebag and cassis transition to a palate with lush black fruits joined by plum and hints of bittersweet chocolate. The finish is full of earth and beautiful spice notes. Lovely!

2008 L’Ecole Merlot, Columbia Valley -$26.99
Washington produces some of my favorite domestic Merlots, and this one is very nice! This has a brooding quality that is just gorgeous with elegant aromas of baking spices hinting at clove and nutmeg on the nose. Dark fruit is abundant on the palate with blackberry and black cherry interwoven with toasty spice notes carrying through a persistent finish. I like this a lot, and with a few years of bottle age, this could prove to be a tough to beat value for the savy drinker!

2008 L’Ecole ‘Apogee’ Blend, Walla Walla Valley – $53.99
60% Cabernet Sauvignon / 29% Merlot / 8% Malbec / 3 % Cabernet Franc
This was the only one of the Walla Walla series wines from L’Ecole that we tasted, and I think that this is where L’Ecole really shines. Agreed by most who tasted to be the favorite of the reds, this wine had very expressive fruit character, beating most of what you will see from Napa at $20 more than the cost of this bottle! All of the fruit for ‘Apogee’ comes from the well known Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla, known for producing wines with spicy and bold aromatic expressions. The nose hints at tea, herbal notes and sweet tobacco (very expressive indeed). On the palate, there is dense, dark fruit wrapped in a blanket of smoke, cocao and mint nuances. The finish is long and heady. This will also age quite nicely for the patient and savy drinker.

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us Friday night. We had a great time! The wines are on the shelf, so come and check ‘em out if you missed the tasting.

Posted by Kenan Hester, CSW (@Vinokeno)

So here we go with our first HWM Tasting Recap! This will be a new tradition. Each week on Friday and Saturday, we will recap our tastings and tell you a little bit about each wine we tried. If you miss the tasting, this will be a great place for you to get “the skinny” on what you missed.

Today we tasted some killer little Spanish beauties from the Stephen Miles Selections portfolio. You will remember today’s last wine, the Huerta Albala Barbazul, from April/May’s Wines of the Month offerings. That wine was a huge hit with our customers, and these are some more of the gems from this groovy portfolio that we’ve discovered since then! Let’s get straight to the wines we tasted today. One white, five reds… and it went something like this:

First Wine:
2010 Pazo Barrantes Albarino (Rias Baixas, Spain) $17.99
This Albarino isn’t actually one of the Stephen Miles Selections, but we had to at least taste one white, so we threw it in the mix for good measure. This is a little bit more round than your typical Albarino. Think more along the lines of slightly bitter pear notes versus the citrus that you typically see from this varietal. The mineral is the there, and a little bit of that salty sea-spray thing that you expect from Albarino. It has a little funkyness to it, not my particular favorite Albarino, but several expressed that they liked it this evening. It reminded me of a lot of Torrontes that I’ve had, so if you like those Mendoza Torrontes wines, chances are you’ll really dig this.

Second Wine:
2009 Pasion de Bobal (Utiel-Requena, Spain) $15.99
This little beauty was a bit of a surprise for many of us, being made from a grape that was all but passed off as good for producing nothing more than cheap jug wine. Bobal is the name of the grape; I’ve heard about it before when studying, but this was the first one I had tasted. It was a smash hit tonight, and agreed by most to be the favorite of the tasting! It starts with brooding cherry pie aromas with just a touch of perfume, reminiscent of Grenache in that manner. The palate is medium bodied, and well-balanced with both red and dark fruits, just a touch of acidity lifting it and framing in the structure. This is a very nice drink!

Third wine:
2009 Matiz Roble (Ribera del Duero, Spain) $15.99
I remember this wine from the first time I tasted it about 2 months ago. 100% Tempranillo, and what an awesome little value from the Ribera del Duero! It’s super earthy on the nose with some spice in the background. A dark colored wine with lots of dark fruits on the palate and plenty of big chewy tannins on the finish. This is an awesome weeknight dinner wine to go alone with anything from burgers to steaks.

Fourth Wine:
2009 Pieque Tinto Mencia (Bierzo, Spain) $13.99
This little Mencia was quite the surprise of the night. I think it was my personal favorite, perhaps. You just don’t see Mencia of this quality and complexity at this pricepoint. We’ve had lots of success with Mencia as a variety here in the shop this year, and this one will certainly see lots of action. Dusty cocao and earthy manure on the nose (very pleasing and quite fragrant). Round and bright, with just enough acidity and a touch of tannin to wrap things up. This makes an awesome food pairing wine, but stands alone very well too. I’m thinkin Chicken Enchiladas with Mole sauce would be awesome!

Fifth Wine:
2008 Hispanos Suizos ‘Bassus’ Pinot Noir (Valencia, Spain) $39.99
What?! 100% Pinot Noir from Spain??? Let the shock wear off a little bit, then have some fun with this one. Not your typical Pinot, more full bodied certainly. That being said, this is one that needs air. You’re going to notice more of those “Pinot” qualities after it’s had some time to breathe. That being said, it was generally agreed that everyone liked it quite a bit. I’m re-tasting it now a couple hours after it’s been open and the acidity is singing now, whereas it seemed more round before. I officially dig Spanish Pinot Noir. “Who woulda thunk it?!”

Sixth Wine:
2008 Huerta Albala Barbazul (Tierra de Cadiz, Spain) $14.99
Last, but certainly not least… a fan favorite around here. Barbazul is a blend of Tintilla de Rota, Syrah, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. I was shocked to read the back label and find that it is 15% ABV, cause this little puppy is balanced and drinkable. Quite drinkable actually! Earth and fruit together on the nose with no burn whatsoever. On the palate the wine is balanced with more red fruits than dark.. think red berries. The finish keeps going for a while. Yepp, still like this!

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight! Great to see you all as always, hoping you will start chiming in here in the comments. Leave us your own recap!  The wines from tonight’s tasting are on the shelf, so come check em out!

We will see everyone tomorrow to taste the wines from DeSante in Napa. One of my favorite ’07 Napa Cabs in the house and a super groovy Sauv Blanc that comes from the only true Old Vines of Sauvignon Blanc planted in Napa. We’re joined by Gretchen Reeves with Vintage Select Wines for our tasting, guaranteed good times on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon… Cheers!