Spring 1999

Dear Friends of the Winery,

Spring has arrived in the Walla Walla Valley with vine bud break
imminent. This marks the beginning of many busy and exciting times at
L'Ecole No 41. It is the 25th Anniversary of Walla Walla's annual
Balloon Stampede and along with other valley wineries, we will be
hosting an Open House May 6, 7 & 8th. We invite you to join us in the
casual atmosphere of the schoolhouse to taste our new wine releases
and sample special cheeses and hors d'oeuvres. This years' spring
releases include our 1997 Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot, 1997 Columbia
Valley Merlot and the 1998 "Walla Voila" Chenin Blanc.

Fine dining at L'Ecole continues with Chef Cristiana Fagioli hosting
Friday and Saturday evening dinners April 30th and May 1st, Balloon
Stampede May 7th and 8th and Whitman Graduation May 21st and 22nd. For
more details and to make reservations, please call the winery at
509/525-0940.  These dinners are quite popular and filling up by
word-of-mouth already. We encourage you to call soon if you are
interested.

Changes abound in the Walla Walla Valley. Eric Dunham has spun off
from L'Ecole No 41 to begin his own winery with his family on the hill
adjacent to the schoolhouse. With three years in production and a
proven palate, we have promoted Mike Sharon to Assistant Winemaker; we
also brought on board the immeasurable talent of Tom Glase, budding
winemaster and resident golf pro.

The wine industry in Walla Walla has doubled in the last year, growing
to 22 operating, upstart and other commercial "hopefuls." Thus, the
mad scramble for quality fruit grows. Our partnership in the expansion
of Seven Hills Vineyard is therefore on the brink of paying big fruit
dividends starting with the 1999 crush. Including this years' spring
planting, already underway, we will be able to count approximately 150
new acres of vineyard at Seven Hills by early May.  We are optimistic
that these new plantings will match or exceed the quality of fruit
from the old Seven Hills block.

 
1997 was a slightly cooler harvest year.  Hotter sites, like Walla
Walla, tend to show their best under these conditions and this vintage
is no exception. Our new release of 1997 Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot
is from the 1989 plantings and is a blend of 93% Merlot and 7%
Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich and full-bodied, yet characteristically soft
on the palate, this Merlot is loaded with bright cedary berry fruit
and toffee mocha flavors.  The 1997 Columbia Valley Merlot is a blend
of 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. This
well-balanced and complex wine combines bright plum and black cherry
flavors with just a hint of spice to create an explosion of fruit on
the palate. The 1998 Chenin Blanc was cold fermented to preserve the
fresh, clean and lively fruit flavors characteristic of this
varietal. This vintage was tasting so good with crisp natural acidity
we decided to finish the wine with a slightly higher residual sugar.

As schoolhouse renovations continue, we are in the midst of moving the
administrative offices to the third floor and enlarging our tasting
room into the original First, Second and Third grade classroom. We
hope to remodel the old school library over the next year, restoring
the old Faulkenberg stain glass windows and turn-of-the-century
bookshelves. We have completed our new deck off the tasting room and
it makes for a superb picnic spot. You and your guests are also
welcome to enjoy our picnic tables and spacious grounds during the
upcoming season.

As many of you know, Megan's mom and L'Ecole's founding winemaker,
Jean Ferguson passed away last November. She was a great loss to us
all. Jean was an inspiration to many, not only in the wine industry
but also in local community organizations such as the YWCA and
Carnegie Art Center. We miss her daily.  Fortunately, her guardian
angel inspired us to continue on with life and the traditions she and
Baker created. Our family thanks you for all the kind words and
letters we have received.

We hope to see you this spring,

Martin & Megan Clubb