Palate
An excellent Frenchtown vintage showing bright fruit aromatics, from wild berries and black cherry to dark plum framed on a medium-bodied structure. An easy-drinking wine, its fruit-forward profile is accented by violets and savory thyme. Vivid flavors carry through to a delicious finish.
Growing Conditions
An overall mild growing season and challenging harvest have nonetheless delivered a high-quality vintage for L’Ecole. A cold and snowy February/March delayed field pruning, resulting in budbreak late April to early May. A warm May accelerated canopy growth and the onset of bloom. Cooler July temperatures moderated heat unit accumulation with veraison delayed 7 to 10 days from normal. August brought customary warm weather, with only a few heat
spikes over 100°F. A warm early September initiated a normal harvest, which was slowed due to slightly rainy and cooler conditions. A light frost at the end of September along with a forecast of more freezing weather on its way accelerated picking, with 60% of our fruit harvested the first two weeks of October. Freezing weather quickly brought the season to a close the second week of October.
Aging
The wine was aged 9 months in primarily neutral oak barrels, then bottle aged 6 additional months prior to release.
