Columbia Valley AVA · Columbia Valley AVA — Washington's broad regional appellation (the US has no growth/estate ranking)
L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
L'Ecole No. 41 · 2020 · Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (value bottling)
$29.95 · K&L Wines · ordered 2025-01-06 · sku 1781353
Implied verdict only: clearly outclassed in the side-by-side. User did not state a standalone opinion of it.
outclassed side-by-side by Château Pontet-Canet 2021 — overall — structure and class in a deliberate side-by-side
entries reconstructed retroactively, 2026-07-19
An approachable, fruit-forward Washington Cabernet: juicy blackberry and cassis with a graphite-and-smoked-cedar edge and a firm, savoury finish — a lot of Columbia Valley Cabernet for the money.
Descriptors
click a term to see why it attaches to this wine
blackberry
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonblack cherry
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignoncassis
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonviolet
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonmint
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignondried herbs
present in this bottle’s notesgraphite
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonwet earth
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAdark chocolate
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonmocha
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignoncedar
present in this bottle’s notesclassic for Columbia Valley AVAclassic for Cabernet Sauvignonsmoke
present in this bottle’s notesThe vintage
2020 was a warm Washington vintage. Its defining event was the smoke from major West Coast wildfires around Labor Day (early September); the Columbia Valley saw hazy skies during the tail of ripening. L'Ecole reported the effect on this wine was negligible, because the Cabernet fruit was already well advanced and the smoke was 'older,' aged smoke rather than fresh fire close to the vines.
A ripe, generous vintage giving full, dark-fruited Cabernet. While some Washington producers declassified or skipped 2020 reds over smoke-taint concerns, this Columbia Valley bottling came through clean — fruit-forward and juicy, with the vintage's ripeness in the fruit and a firm, savoury edge.
Vineyard
Free-draining wind-blown loess over sand, gravel, and basalt from the Missoula Floods; the sandy, phylloxera-free soils allow own-rooted vines.
Sourced widely across the arid, irrigated Columbia Basin, blending fruit from several sub-areas of the valley.
A multi-vineyard blend from across the Columbia Valley, including the estate Ferguson and Seven Hills vineyards plus long-standing growers such as Bacchus, Pepper Bridge, Alder Ridge, Stone Tree, Summit View, Candy Mountain, Yellowjacket, and Loess.
In the cellar & winery
Fermented in the winery's standard red-wine regime; destemmed Cabernet from multiple vineyard lots.
Aged about 22 months in small oak barrels, roughly 20% new (per the producer's tech sheet for the 2020).
A varietal Cabernet in the 2020 vintage, built as an approachable, food-friendly value wine.
Composition
- Cabernet Sauvignon 100%
vintage-specific blend · abv 14.5%