2009 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee

Happy Saturday!  I was running errands all day today, you know, all the dumb stuff, like getting a haircut, getting new eyeglasses, grocery shopping, running to the bank, so much running!  So tonight I am relaxing with a nice dinner and a good bottle of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a wine I've had sitting in the cellar for four or five years, the 2009 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%), Malbec (7%) and Cabernet Franc (3%) all from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see if this wine is as great as I think it could be!

The wine is an inky black color at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a lovely expression of earthy brilliance and lovely ripe fruit, with aromas of leather, blackberry, plum and cassis and a bit of smoke lingering over the top.  The taste is divine, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, plum and black currant that transitions nicely to some wonderfully peppery spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are mature and very well integrated, leading to a long, smooth, voluptuous finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, I've said before that I prefer L'Ecole's Perigee to the Apogee, but this one is about to change my thinking!  This wine is a perfect big steak wine, which is good since tonight I'm enjoying it with a thick, rare grilled prime ribcap steak from Costco (thank you errands!) with a baked potato with sour cream and chives and some steamed orange cauliflower (let's see if it's still the "in" veggie for 2017!).  Cheers!