L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla Valley Merlot 2000

Winemaker's Notes:

Variety: 75% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc This wine is a blend of two distinguished Walla Walla Valley vineyards: 86% Seven Hills Vineyard (Merlot 61%, Cabernet Sauvignon 19%, Cabernet Franc 6%) and 14% Pepper Bridge Vineyard Merlot. Winemaker Comments: “This Walla Walla Valley wine allowed us to blend the soft texture and finesse of Seven Hills Vineyard, with the bright fruit and complexity of Pepper Bridge. A touch of Cabernet Franc adds a heightened array floral aromatic notes to the wine.” Harvest: A mild warm spring led into a beautiful summer with higher than normal heat unit accumulation, culminating in an early veraison. As hoped, fall brought cooler weather slowing fruit maturity and allowing for extended hang time into October. The 2000 vintage has delivered outstanding wines with excellent color and fruit extraction and well-balanced flavors and acidity. Technical: The components of this wine were hand-harvested as follows: Pepper Bridge Merlot 9/28/00 25.0% Brix, 3.60 pH, 0.59 g/100 ml Seven Hills Merlot (avg.) 9/20/00 24.4% Brix, 3.28 pH, 0.63 g/100 ml Seven Hills Cabernet (avg.)10/6/00 23.4% Brix, 3.28 pH, 0.59 g/100 ml Seven Hills Cab Franc 9/28/00 24.4% Brix, 3.43 pH, 0.56 g/100 ml Bottled 764 cases February 26th, 2002; pH 3.70, acid 0.58 g/100ml, 13.9% alcohol by volume, <0.2% residual sugar. Description: Cascading aromas of spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel and cranberry meld flawlessly with the intense bright fruit flavors of black cherry, plum and smoky notes on a long balanced finish. Vinification: Each lot was harvested ripe and gently crushed into one-ton stainless steel fermenters. The must was inoculated with yeast and punched down by hand during fermentation to maximize fruit extraction. When fermentation was complete or we were otherwise satisfied with the level of tannin and flavor extract the must was gently pressed. After settling, the wine was racked to oak barrels (50% new). The wine was barrel-aged 17 months with five rackings and the final blend was bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve its natural flavors.