2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Merlot

So yesterday I had two good things happen, the first was receiving my wine club shipments from L'Ecole and Seven Hills, the second was stopping at Costco on my way home and finding a terrific deal on prime filet mignon.  So as they say, two plus two equals a fabulous dinner and wine pairing!  Although my dinner won't be much of a surprise, I had about eight different wines to choose from given the club shipments, so I settled on a 2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Merlot.  This wine is blend of Merlot (76%), Cabernet Franc (18%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%) sourced from the Estate Ferguson (50%) and Seven Hills (50%) Vineyards.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine has the look of a classic, old world style Merlot, with a deep garnet hue in the glass.  The nose presents a characteristic earthy array of aromas of basalt, cedar and smoke that lingers over the glass.  The taste is surprisingly fruit forward, with a blast of ripe black cherry that subsides into notes of pipe tobacco and ends in some wonderful notes of peppery spice.  The tannins are nicely structured providing a solid foundation for the velvety smooth and dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a solid, easy drinking Merlot.  This wine would pair well with a variety of foods, as I could see myself enjoying this with burgers, barbecue, pizza, pasta or steaks.  But of course tonight I'm enjoying this wine with steak, a rare grilled prime filet mignon with some grilled asparagus and a baked potato with sour cream and scallions.  Cheers!