L'Ecole No. 41 Perigee Seven Hills Vineyard 2015

L'Ecole No. 41 Perigee Seven Hills Vineyard 2015 is a 750ml, 14.5% ABV Bordeaux-style red blend from Washington's acclaimed Walla Walla Valley. This flagship bottling earned 94 points from Jeb Dunnuck and was produced in a limited run of just 1,425 cases, sourced from hand-selected blocks within Seven Hills Vineyard — named one of the "Ten Great Vineyards of the World" by Wine & Spirits Magazine in 2004.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.5%  |  Origin: Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington  |  Vintage: 2015  |  Winery: L'Ecole No. 41

Production & Heritage

L'Ecole No. 41, founded in 1983, operates from a converted 1915 schoolhouse in Lowden, Washington, and stands as one of the Walla Walla Valley's pioneering estates. Perigee falls within the winery's white-label tier — wines focused on sense of place rather than single varietal expression, with production typically one-third the volume of their black-label counterparts. The 2015 blend comprises 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 7% Malbec, aged 22 months in 40% new French oak barrels. Fruit is drawn from the oldest and most distinguished blocks of Seven Hills Vineyard, a site L'Ecole co-manages alongside Pepper Bridge Winery and Leonetti Cellars.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with deep, ripe plum and blueberry before unfolding into layers of violets, incense, and lead pencil. Cigar box and subtle herbal undertones add complexity as the wine breathes.

Taste: On entry, concentrated black cherry and blackcurrant coat the palate with a silky density. The mid-palate introduces black plum and blueberry supported by chocolate and oak spice, while cassis and earthy mineral tones emerge at the peak. The structure is layered yet poised, reflecting the vineyard's volcanic soils.

Finish: Fine-grained tannins carry the wine into a long, elegant finish marked by cedar, leather, and lingering dark fruit. The oak integration is seamless, with no rough edges even a decade after vintage.

How to Drink Perigee 2015

At nearly ten years from vintage, this wine is drinking in a compelling window of maturity. Serve at 60–65°F and decant for 30–45 minutes to allow the secondary aromas to fully develop; neat is the ideal approach for a wine of this complexity. While primarily a sipping wine, it holds its own in the following contexts: a bold Cabernet-based Sangria built around dark fruit and warm spice, where the blend's depth adds serious backbone; a chilled Kalimotxo if you enjoy subverting expectations with a high-quality base; or a refined red wine reduction sauce for culinary applications that benefit from the wine's cedar and plum character.

Best For

• Gifting a serious Washington wine collector a library-vintage flagship
• Anchoring a vertical tasting of L'Ecole Perigee across multiple vintages
• Pairing with a special-occasion dinner featuring grilled lamb or dry-aged beef
• Adding a critically acclaimed Walla Walla red to a cellar portfolio

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Perigee 2015 taste like? It delivers concentrated black plum, blueberry, and blackcurrant layered with chocolate, cedar, and oak spice, framed by fine tannins and a long, elegant finish. The overall impression is one of structured richness balanced by floral lift and earthy minerality.

How does Perigee 2015 compare to Leonetti Cellars reserve reds? Both draw fruit from Seven Hills Vineyard, but Perigee leans toward a classic five-varietal Bordeaux architecture with prominent Cabernet Franc and Malbec components, while Leonetti's flagship blends tend to emphasize a richer, more opulent house style. The 2015 Perigee scored 94 points from Jeb Dunnuck, placing it among the top Walla Walla reds of the vintage.

Is Perigee 2015 good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is a wine built for contemplative drinking, with enough complexity, tannin resolution, and secondary development at its current age to reward unhurried attention in a proper Bordeaux glass.

Where is Perigee 2015 made? It is produced by L'Ecole No. 41 in Lowden, Washington, within the Walla Walla Valley AVA of the broader Columbia Valley. The fruit comes exclusively from Seven Hills Vineyard, one of the region's most storied sites, planted on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley.

What foods pair well with Perigee 2015? Grilled rack of lamb with rosemary mirrors the wine's herbal and cedar notes. Dry-aged ribeye steak complements its tannic structure. Duck confit with blackberry gastrique echoes the dark fruit profile. Aged Gruyère or Comté cheese highlights the wine's earthy, nutty undertones. Braised short ribs with root vegetables match its weight and concentration.

What sizes does Perigee 2015 come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Perigee 2015 worth the price? Perigee positions as a premium flagship expression from one of Washington's founding estates, with limited production of 1,425 cases and a 94-point critical endorsement — it represents strong value within the upper tier of Walla Walla Bordeaux-style blends.

Why Perigee 2015?

Few Washington reds carry the vineyard pedigree of a Seven Hills single-site bottling produced by one of the three estates that manage the property. The 2015 vintage delivered warm, even ripening in the Walla Walla Valley, and L'Ecole's response was to hand-select their most venerable blocks for this blend. With 22 months in French oak, a five-varietal Bordelaise structure, and the concentration that comes from just 1,425 cases of production, this is a wine that demonstrates why Seven Hills earned its global recognition. At its current age, it sits in a rewarding drinking window where primary fruit intensity and developed secondary character coexist.