L'Ecole 41 Ferguson Estate Red 2019
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James
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine &
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Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
With a flavor profile distinctly influenced by its volcanic basalt soil, Ferguson is a richly structured and energetic wine offering complex, mineral-laced aromas of blackberries, mulberry, fragrant violet, and sandalwood. Layers of dark fruit and espresso are framed by expressive tannins integrated with graphite and crushed rocks on the palate. Intense, racy, and structured, Ferguson’s pronounced natural acidity carries through to a compelling and enduring finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Inviting aromas of juicy and ripe red fruit, ground spice and sweet tobacco on the nose. Full-bodied with fruit-soaked, fine tannins. Excellent structure and composure here. Ripe fruit is complimented by leather, tobacco and toasted herbs. Complex and dynamic with real clarity. Wonderful. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 12% cabernet franc, 6% malbec and 6% petit verdot. Sustainable. Best after 2024 and onward.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A brilliant wine, the 2019 Estate Ferguson Vineyard is seamless, elegant, and gorgeous. Red and black currants, tobacco, cedarwood, and background oak all emerge on the nose, and this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, wonderful balance, and a great finish. It already offers pleasure yet will benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar and keep for two decades.
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Wine & Spirits
In just ten short years, L’Ecole’s Ferguson bottling has gone from a project on a hill to the brand’s flagship. This blend is about one-half cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot grown on a high, windswept ridge of basalt. The site rendered fruit of exceptional depth and concentration in 2019. It leads with scents of leather and tobacco leaf, and you get the sense that you can smell the basalt in the glass. The texture is firm, the wine powerful, delivering saturated flavors of dark cherries and the sweet graham-cracker scent of oak. It ends on a gripping, scudding minerality that gives the wine exceptional length and breadth.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot. The aromas pop, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, mineral and cinnamon stick. The palate brings a mouthful of fruit flavor, with so much plumpness it almost hides all of the structure that's behind it, but there is plenty. It reflects the vintage well, showing freshness, depth of flavor and polish. Hold until 2029 to see it at its best.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Focused and trim, with dense currant, tobacco and espresso flavors that gather tension toward sturdy tannins. Needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
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Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling -
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine &
Spirits -
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Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Enthusiast
Founded in 1983 in the Walla Walla Valley, L'Ecole No 41 is one of Washington State's most iconic and oldest family-owned wineries. Housed in the historic Frenchtown School depicted on our label, we have earned international acclaim for producing distinctive wines of the highest quality. We craft ultra-premium wines that reflect the unmistakable typicity of Washington State and the unique terroir of our Walla Walla Valley vineyards.
Growing and making 100% of our wines, each bottle is handcrafted with a commitment to quality in the vineyards and the winery. More than three decades of winemaking experience, ongoing investments in our Walla Walla Estate Ferguson and Seven Hills Vineyards, and long term relationships with many of the most prominent vineyards in Washington State are central to our well-known reputation for quality and consistency across our wine portfolio. These tenets will continue to sustain L'Ecole well into the future.
L'Ecole is one of the most honored wineries in Washington State. We are proud to be recognized by Wine & Spirits Magazine as a Top 100 Winery of the Year for fourteen consecutive years. In 2014, Decanter awarded our 2011 Estate Ferguson the International Trophy for Best Bordeaux Blend in the World! In 2016, the 2013 Ferguson won the International Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend from the Six Nations Wine Challenge.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.