A few days ago I had the great opportunity to sit down with the management and winemaking team at L’Ecole No. 41 and taste some older wines. L’Ecole No. 41’s top wines have always been built to age. They can be a bit reticent right out of the gate after release but really start to come into their own after about five years. Owner Marty Club agreed that the ‘Perigee’ ‘Apogee’ and ‘Ferguson’ bottlings really improve after five plus years of cellaring. He also noted that if consuming young “A long decant” is really necessary to take in the beautiful range of flavors and aromatics.
The ‘Perigee’ and ‘Apogee’ program has been a pillar of quality for L’Ecole for so many years. This program began in 1993 with the Pepper Bridge Vineyard-based Apogee. The Perigee comes from the Seven Hills Vineyard and also has been made for more than two decades. The newcomer to this program is the one of a kind ‘Ferguson’ which comes from this incredible high-elevation site which is set on windswept loess soils with fractured basalt beneath it. Wines from this vineyard have a stony essence that is all their own.
Tasting through their library wines I had the unique opportunity to taste each of these ‘Cru’ Bordeaux-insprired bottlings from the 2013 vintage. For years 2013 was left in the shadow of 2012. Now we know that wines from 2013 are every bit as good — if not better — than those produced in 2012. For my palate with few exceptions 2013 has been showing several notches better than 2012 reds recently in terms of stuffing, flavor density and overall drinkability.
All of the 2013 wines from L’Ecole showed beautifully. I loved the 2013 ‘Apogee’ (OB, 96) with its smoothness, as it is drinking so well now. I think the finest wine of the tasting was the incredible 2013 ‘Ferguson’ (OB, 98) which was wonderfully stony and rich. This had a wonderful veil of tension and glorious length. This retrospective was certainly a tasting to remember! Learn more at https://www.lecole.com/ and here are my reviews of the incredible 2013 wines by L’Ecole No. 41.
2013 L’Ecole No. 41 ‘Apogee’ Red Wine- The 2013 ‘Apogee’ is gorgeous on the nose with anise and allspice alongside dark currants and shades of sandalwood, with dark chocolate shavings. The palate is soft and refined with a smooth texture. Rich and viscous, this is outstanding in its damp soil and black fruit profile alongside sagebrush and tar notes. Smooth throughout the drinking experience, with no rough edges, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2038- 96
2013 L’Ecole No. 41 ‘Perigee’ Red Wine- The beautiful 2013 L’Ecole No. 41 ‘Perigee’ Red Wine is a great showing from this warm vintage. Texturally beautifully, this offer pencil lead, anise, black currants na chocolate notes on the palate. Fresh and dense, with good weight, this is beautiful wine that still has a long way to go. Drink 2024-2038- 96
2013 L’Ecole No. 41 ‘Ferguson’ Red Wine- A sensational wine from a warm vintage, the 2013 ‘Ferguson’ offers creosote, nose, black currant cordial and shades of dark chocolate shavings. This is showing fantastic depth with its stony core, with polished black fruits, alongside graphite and chocolate. Finishing long this is a stunning wine that is one of the finest of this tasting. Drink 2024-2038- 98