Walla Walla, Wash. — Sept 8, 2017 — As the 2017 Washington wine harvest kicks into high gear this month, Walla Walla’s L’Ecole N° 41 will bring home more than wine grapes. The winery will add yet another prestigious, new honor to a growing list of international awards, just in time for its 35th harvest celebration.
Wine Enthusiast announced yesterday that L’Ecole is one of only five U.S. wineries nominated for the magazine’s annual American Winery of the Year award and the only Washington State winery to be nominated in the category in 2017. The winner will be announced in November and celebrated at the magazine’s 2017 Wine Star Awards in January. Launched in 2001, the program honors wine and beverage individuals and companies from around the world in 16 categories for outstanding achievements over the past year.
The Wine Enthusiast nomination is the latest recognition for the iconic winery that has earned yet another honor in a series of recent awards that underscore L’Ecole’s track record for excellence. Last fall, L’Ecole owner and managing winemaker Marty Clubb traveled to Sydney, Australia to accept the Six Nations Wine Challenge’s International Trophy for Best Red Bordeaux Blend awarded to the 2013 L’Ecole N° 41 Estate Ferguson. In 2014, Decanter World Wine Awards presented the 2011 Estate Ferguson with its distinguished International Trophy for Best Red Bordeaux Varietals over £15 at an awards ceremony in London, and Wine & Spirits magazine has named L’Ecole to its Top 100 Wineries list 14 times since 2002.
“As we celebrate our 35th harvest, receiving this Wine Enthusiast nomination is a real honor, one we share with our vineyards and grape growers,” says Clubb. “Accolades like this affirm the consistency of our wines and the quality of our vineyards.” L’Ecole is known for its investment in its Walla Walla Valley estate vineyards and its award-winning Vineyard Collection wines that include Ferguson, Apogee and Perigee.
Founded in the Walla Walla Valley in 1983, L’Ecole N° 41 is one of Washington State’s first artisan family owned wineries. Housed in the historic Frenchtown schoolhouse depicted on the label, L’Ecole has earned international acclaim for producing expressive, distinctive wines reflective of the unmistakable typicity of Washington State and the unique terroir of the winery’s Walla Walla Valley estate vineyards.