2007 L’Ecolle No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot

The 2007 L’Ecolle No. 41 Merlot from Walla Walla in eastern Washington has a dark ruby color has aromas of dark fruit and tobacco. The flavors are dark fruit, light vanilla and some spiciness, maybe black pepper. The tannins are light and well integrated with good acid. It has a medium length finish. While the wine was nice drinking on its own it really came alive with food.

The L’Ecolle is 81% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and has an alcohol level of 14.5%.