82% Semillon, 18% Sauvignon Blanc

Food pairings: Rich fish such as black cod, shellfish and lobster, chicken in a creamy white sauce, lemongrass chicken, pork chops, creamy risotto, paella, and goat cheese.

Winemaking: The grapes were picked in the early morning hours and brought straight to the winery for whole-cluster pressing, with care taken to keep the fruit aromatics. The juice was settled overnight and racked to French oak barrels, 15% new, for a slow, cool fermentation. The wine went through 60% malolactic fermentation and periodic lees stirring for added weight and complexity, and it was gently fined and filtered before bottling. In 2023 a cool spring gave way to a warm, dry summer; a short August heat spike and a cooler September kept yields low and gave wines of remarkable concentration and balance.

Vineyards and terroir: The fruit comes from four Columbia Valley vineyards: Stillwater Creek, Rosebud, Lodmell and XL. Few Semillons show as much richness and complexity as those grown in the distinctive soils of Eastern Washington, and cool nights through the growing season and harvest keep crisp natural acidity and expressive aromatics, which makes this a wonderful wine with food.

Family and history: L'Ecole № 41 was founded in 1983 by Jean and Baker Ferguson, only the third winery in the Walla Walla Valley. It is housed in the historic 1915 Frenchtown schoolhouse in Lowden, pictured on the label, and its name, French for "the school", honors School District No. 41. The Fergusons' daughter Megan and her husband Marty Clubb built on that legacy and made L'Ecole a benchmark for Washington wine, and today the third generation, Riley and Rebecca Clubb, helps lead the family winery.

In the pictures: The historic Frenchtown schoolhouse, home of L'Ecole № 41; Director of Winemaking David Rosenthal in the barrel room; and grapes arriving at the winery at harvest (photos courtesy of L'Ecole № 41).