Walla Walla’s L’Ecole N° 41 Brings Home International Trophy
from the Global Fine Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia
Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend Awarded to Winery’s 2019 Perigee Wine
For the third time in a decade, L’Ecole N° 41, one of Walla Walla Valley’s founding wineries, has earned an international trophy at a prestigious global wine competition. Global Fine Wine Challenge’s International Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend was awarded to L’Ecole No. 41 for its 2019 Perigee from the winery’s Estate Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.
This highly regarded annual competition included 600 of the New World’s top wines (entered by invitation only) from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. Five of the most important voices in New World wine, one from each participating country, nominated their top wines for the competition.
Sean P. Sullivan, an influential and widely read American wine writer, represented the United States and nominated L’Ecole N° 41’s 2019 Estate Perigee. For L’Ecole N° 41, the accolade builds upon its two previous international trophies — 2016’s Six Nations Wine Challenge’s International Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend awarded to L’Ecole No. 41’s 2013 Estate Ferguson and 2014’s Decanter World Wine Awards International Trophy for Best Red Bordeaux Varietals over £15 presented to the winery’s 2011 Estate Ferguson.
The news of this new trophy comes shortly after Wine & Spirits Magazine named L’Ecole N° 41 as a Top 100 Winery of the Year for the 16th time. “We are thrilled with this third international trophy. It speaks to our commitment to quality every vintage and our focus on excellence throughout the year, starting in the vineyard, continuing at the winery, and finishing with the wine in your glass,” commented Marty Clubb, L’Ecole No. 41’s owner and managing winemaker.
Marty Clubb: Owner and Managing Partner of L’Ecole No. 41 Winery.
Clubb went on to say: “Our Vineyard Collection of wines, including our Estate Perigee and Estate Ferguson, are single vineyard expressions of Walla Walla’s unique terroir and represent the best that each vineyard has to offer. As we look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2023, we see this as an acknowledgment of the foundation of quality we have built to this point. This is a tremendous honor, not only for L’Ecole but also for Washington State and the Walla Walla Valley. As a winery and region, we are still relatively young, and it is exciting to see the success to date and the potential of what the future holds.”
The 2019 Perigee from Estate Seven Hills Vineyard is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Malbec. L’Ecole N° 41 is a winery partner with Pepper Bridge Winery and Leonetti Cellar in the acclaimed Estate Seven Hills Vineyard. Planted in wind-blown loess, a geologically young, mineral-rich soil, it is one of the oldest and most renowned vineyards in Washington State. It has been named one of the “Ten Great Vineyards of the World” by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
About L’Ecole No 41
Housed in the historic Frenchtown schoolhouse depicted on its label, L’Ecole No. 41 has earned international acclaim for producing expressive, distinctive wines that reflect the unmistakable typicity of Washington State and the unique terroir of its Walla Walla Valley estate vineyards.
Founded in 1983, L’Ecole celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023. In addition to Clubb, his wife Megan Clubb and their children Riley Clubb and Rebecca Olson are also co-owners and serve on L’Ecole’s Board of Directors.
About Global Fine Wine Challenge (formerly Six Nations Wine Challenge)
Exclusive to the nations of the New World, this challenge is accessible by invitation only and is restricted to the top 120 wines of each country competing – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The very best selections across 22 classes are made by country representatives in light of their intimate knowledge of their own nation’s wines. The competition is held in Sydney, Australia, and wines are judged blind by Masters of Wine to discover the best that the New World has to offer.
