L'Ecole No 41

Whatever you do, don’t skip school whenever you pass through Lowden on old Highway 12. Specifically, be in attendance at the Walla Walla Valley’s iconic L’Ecole No 41 winery, housed in a former “Frenchtown” schoolhouse. A rendering of this 1915 building adorns L’Ecole No 41’s distinctive labels, drawn in 1983 by then-8-year-old Ryan Campbell when the winery was established. Ryan just happened to enter an art contest conducted by L’Ecole No 41. They liked his drawing so much that they decided to use it for the label. Appropriately enough, Ryan now lives and works in Boston as a successful architect.

Established in 1983, L’Ecole No 41 is the Walla Walla Valley’s third-oldest winery, with only Woodward Canyon and Leonetti Cellar being a little older. Today, L’Ecole No 41 produces about 35,000 cases annually, guided by a philosophy of traditional hands-on winemaking. Its owners, Megan and Martin Clubb, are clear about their goal: “To achieve clean, ripe, stylistically expressive and aromatic wines that let the individual site characteristics of our vineyards shine through.” While Martin spends most of his time these days managing the vineyards, winemaker Mike Sharon is usually at the winery overseeing the punching, bottling, labeling, tasting, racking, de-stemming, and the rest of the ever-growing mountain of other chores that go into creating wine from grapes.

This schoolhouse of bygone days will take you back in time; the sounds, the smells, and even the fine craftsmanship of the building itself will have you imagining the sounds of laughing children playing at recess. As you walk inside, check out the cast-iron school bell at the entrance. In the upstairs tasting room, you will notice an old chalkboard now used to list L’Ecole N° 41’s wines and prices. A stained-glass replica of L’Ecole No 41 gracefully sits center stage behind the wine bar. The gift shop offers a variety of wine-related items and L’Ecole No 41 logo–bedecked clothing and gear.

L'Ecole No 41 produces a variety of red and white wines from estate grapes and fruit acquired from Columbia Valley and local vineyards. Given the vines established maturity, expect to see more estate- and single-vineyard wines forwarding the future. You will want to budget a good half-hour to sample these wines and visit with the friendly and well-trained tasting room staff. Fielding questions about L’Ecole No 41 and the winemaking process with patience and engaging smiles, they are, by all appearances, very well schooled.

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  Order the book!

  L'Ecole No 41 was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla WineTrail West on page 420!

• 

  Order the book!

  L'Ecole No 41 was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla WineTrail West on page 420!