2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee

Well, I think I may have finally come to an end of leaf blowing season at my house, and it couldn't come too soon as I have 100 feed of garland and Christmas lights to hang next weekend!  After the final day of blowing, raking and piling at the front of my yard, it's time for a nice glass of wine to make my dinner and evening more enjoyable.  Tonight I've opened a recent wine club shipment from one of my favorite Walla Walla wineries, L'Ecole No. 41!  The 2016 Apogee is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (25%), Malbec (11%) and Cabernet Franc (4%) from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this vintage is shaping up!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, a testament to the heavy blend of Cabernet.  The nose is wonderful deep breath of leather, fresh herbs and a bit of black licorice over the top.  The taste is a rush of ripe berry fruit at the outset, blackberry, currant and blueberry that transitions nicely to some notes of dark chocolate and hints of baking spice midpalate.  The fine grain tannins amplify the smoothness on the finish, with a reprise of blackberry on the long, velvety dry finish that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would easily rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a bit better than some previous vintages of Apogee (those who know me know my preference for the Perigee blend of the two signature Bordeaux style blends that L'Ecole produces).  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty fall and holiday dishes, from prime rib roast, to cedar planked salmon to Christmas ham.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled petite Angus porterhouse with Bearnaise sauce, oven roasted purple potatoes and grilled asparagus.  Cheers!