founded 1983 · The Clubb family (second and third generations of the founding Ferguson family)
L'Ecole No. 41
A pioneering Walla Walla Valley winery, founded in 1983 by Baker and Jean Ferguson and only the third winery established in the valley, after Leonetti Cellar (1977) and Woodward Canyon (1981). Since 1989 it has been run by the founders' daughter Megan Clubb and her husband Marty Clubb, with their children now involved as the third generation. It remains one of Washington State's most respected family wineries.
The winery is housed in the former Frenchtown School, a 1915 schoolhouse in Lowden, west of Walla Walla — the source of the name (L'Ecole = 'the school', No. 41 for the old school district). The Clubbs farm two estate vineyards, Ferguson (a high-elevation site in the Walla Walla Valley) and a share of the historic Seven Hills Vineyard, and buy from many established Columbia Valley growers. Farming is certified sustainable (LIVE and Salmon-Safe).
The wines
- Columbia Valley Cabernet SauvignonA multi-vineyard, value-priced Cabernet blended across the broad Columbia Valley AVA.
- Walla Walla Valley Cabernet SauvignonA more structured, terroir-focused bottling from the smaller Walla Walla AVA.
- Ferguson (Estate, Walla Walla Valley)A flagship Bordeaux-style estate red from the basalt-rich Ferguson Vineyard.
- Chenin Blanc / SémillonL'Ecole is also known for reviving these white varieties in Washington.