Wine & Spirits

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate  The 2009 Art Bus Red is another seductive, totally polished wine from La Sirena and Heidi Barrett. Ripe red berries, crushed flowers, cinnamon and sweet pipe tobacco are layered into the silky, polished finish. This pretty, mid-weight red has plenty of juicy, forward fruit, not to mention considerable sheer appeal. Fifteen percent of the proceeds from the sale of Art Bus are donated to charity. (AG)  (12/2012)

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Wine Enthusiast -Santa Barbara, CA- "Black plum, violet, lilac and a hint of chocolate are well integrated on the tangy yet rich noise of this balanced effort...The wine hits the palate with hefty black cherry, blackberry and elderberry jam flavors, proving thick and impressive atop chalky tannins."

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Winemaker Notes A brilliant and nice Ruby red in color. The nose is delicate, floral and fruity, with red fruits, wild flowers and noble wood fragrance. The wine is fine, subtle in the mouth. The tension is balanced by a delicate tannic structure, and the palate is full of fruits (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry) and spices (pepper, clove). The minerality dominates a long and elegant finale. Meaning "Discovery" in French and produced from the second Estate Vineyard owned by Résonance, the Découverte Vineyard Pinot Noir displays the best of the Dundee Hills AVA. Elegant yet structured, the wine is complex on the nose and palate with classic Pinot Noir aromas and flavors and a long finish. Pairs well with lightly seasoned red meats, chicken, turkey, lamb and root vegetables.

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Winemaker Notes The 2016 wines show an incredible density and concentration, with brilliant red and black fruit and impressive tannins. The 2016 Willamette Valley is a focused wine, revealing a darker nose than the previous vintage, with black cherry and plum accented by hints of violet, dried herbs, and bay laurel. The palate is supported by a backbone of racy acidity which lingers long into the finish and offers bright red fruit along with savory herbs, olive, and a saline edge.

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89 points Wine Spectator  A supple, beefy red, with a spicy snap to the mature flavors of dried berry. The minerally finish features toffee notes. Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Grenache. Drink now. (Web-2011)  Wine Enthusiast  Sweet on the nose with aromas of cherry and strawberry preserves, the 2002 Gaston Hochar is softer and jammier on the palate than the 2000 vintage. Prolonged aeration reveals smoke, vanilla, and toast notes and lush, smooth tannins that linger elegantly.  (9/2011)

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Winemaker Notes Concentrated blueberries, mulberries and plums give density to a nose that also exhibits black cardamom, anise caramel and hickory. There is subtle lift with rose petals and violets offering further fragrance. Black and blue fruits dominate the palate with upfront weight and texture. Woven fruit layers meet subtle smokey oak creating a layered palate, laced with a finely balanced acid line.

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This blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc offers aromas of blackberry cobbler with dark jammy fruit, clove spice and black licorice. Plum and black cherry flavors are balanced by notes of dried herbs, slate and tea on a lingering dry finish. Plenty of structure and integrated tannins make this delicious now, but and age worthy wine as well.

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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 re?ect 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.  

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"The Francesco Cirelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is perhaps the finest Montepulciano on our shelf right now. This wine somehow combines eclectic elements of freshness, fruit concentration, rusticity, and elegance. Simply, all the fixings of a great Montepulciano d'Abruzzo."--Codey Foster, Wine Director

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Tasting Notes "Tasted at the chateau with Francois Estager. The 2009 offers attractive depth and complexity on the nose with blackberry, raspberry, a touch of balsamic and a hitherto unknown sense of minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with a Burgundy-like entry in terms of its silky texture. There is a touch of dark chocolate from some unresolved oak, although the finish is very composed and harmonious. This needs another three or four years in bottle to come round. Very fine. Tasted March 2013." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (7/30/2013), Rating: 89.

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James Suckling: 96 Points Extremely perfumed with rose aromas that turn to strawberries and citrus. Some stones, too. Full-bodied, yet reserved and ultra-refined. It goes on for minutes. Power with finesse. Try in 2022 but already a joy to taste.

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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2015 Altura Máxima Malbec is all black olives, decayed violets and malted cereals, a wild and unusual wine with high ripeness but a medium-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins. It is produced with grapes from their seven-year-old vineyard at 3,100 meters in altitude, the highest vineyard in the world producing commercial wine. The grapes were harvested fully ripe at the end of April, which is the equivalent to the end of October in the northern hemisphere. Here, latitude compensates for the altitude, and the grapes manage to ripen fully with strong exposure to sunlight. It matured in fourth use French barriques for 24 months. 6,900 bottles were filled in December 2017.

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