2015 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a somewhat busy weekend that's too rapidly coming to a close, on Friday evening I had some folks over for a pre-holiday get together and then had lots of activities and work after that.  So before the official end of the weekend, I thought it appropriate to open a nice bottle of wine with dinner.  Tonight it's a recent wine club selection from L'Ecole No. 41, the 2015 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon (coincidentally, I opened a double magnum of the '09 vintage for my get together on Friday).  This wine is sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, including Ferguson, Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, Loess and Summit View, providing a broad spectrum of the Walla Walla AVA terroir.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep inky purple in the glass, with a bit of garnet at the edges. The nose is a lovely combination of blackberry, blueberry, smoke and rose petals, suggesting a style more old world than new.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit, black cherry, blueberry, currant and blackberry that envelop the palate before transitioning seamlessly to some savory herbs and wonderfully earthy notes of basalt and tobacco midpalate.  The tannins are youthful, but very well structured to provide a perfect backbone to the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely example of the fine Cabernet coming from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine would pair well with a broad array of hearty dishes, from braised short ribs to lamb chops to hearty pasta, but for Sunday dinner, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye, grilled Brussels sprouts and a big, loaded baked potato.  Cheers!