Not much in the nose, but flavors are redolent with melon and herbs. A bit too soft for my liking, perhaps because the wine was barrel fermented, which tends to reduce acidity. Some creaminess, suggesting the wine underwent at least partial malolactic. In a way, it reminds me of the Concannon Semillons of the 1960s and 1970s, which I liked a lot. They were also fermented in wood, though in their case it was redwood tanks.
(3/18/2022) Compared to a Bordeaux Semillon, rather fat but with the melon character indicative of Semillon. No doubt, the 12% Sauvignon Blanc cushions that, adding a bit of herbal character. L'Ecole No. 41 wines are very consistent, vintage after vintage, and always a good buy.
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Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
Private Preserve used after Day 1
N: Toast, poss a touch of vanilla, sltly atop quince with notes of limes; Later, a creaminess
P: Med body; Oak atop a modicum of frt met by a slightly astringent acidity which DOES pretty much mitigate as it evolves into a LONG, eventually reasonably pleasant finish. Though the night's COSTCO's Roasted Chx & Gnocchi in Lt Tom Sauce slightly increased the astringency, it nonetheless DID manage to cleanse the palate with its firmness. While NOT my preferred Sémillon approach, it's well made in its oaky/malolactic style.
// Days 4 & 5: Has faded aromatically, the creaminess now being predominant. On the P oak (with its bitterness/harshness) now QUITE dominant.
// ∑: Particularly towards the end I *really* sensed the "almost chardonnay like...viscous body" mentioned in the TN of 12/6/21. The low end of my EXC- (90 pts), though as I said in my TN of 9/22/21, higher for those > receptive to its oak/malo, flavors that will become > dominant as it ages further. 13.5% ABV.
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clean clear bright lemon yellow Beer, lemon zest almost TDN, chamomile on the nose medium acid medium alcohol to medium plus lemon, lemon pith on tbe palate Bitter phenolic finish An almost chardonnay like mild wine with a viscous body but not a ton of character
Purchased at their Walla Walla tasting room last spring.
Appearance: medium clear yellow with flecks of green. No gas or sediment
Nose: medium(+) intense aromas of lemon and honeydew melon. No apparent oaking to me
Palate: full bodied, creamy texture, medium/medium(+) acid, and dry. Medium(+) flavors of lemon/orange, marshmallow, and cream. Medium(+) balance, good complexity, and a nice medium/medium(+) creamy and slightly saline finish.
Really clean and well balanced with good fruit supported by creaminess. Very nice!
Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
Private Preserve used after Day 1, though the ff'ing is from Day 3
N: Init too cold, but hints of apples, lemons, a creaminess, poss figs, the creaminess & hints of vanilla coming on with increased warmth
P: Rndish entry; Med, poss MF, body; Nice, almost swtish oak/frt counterbalanced by an acidity which drives the bus into the LONG, balanced finish which cleanses with its acidity & a very, VERY slight bitterness. While not my preferred style (> oak & malolactic than my druthers), it's a VERY well made wine that should drink into '23. My EXC- (90,91/100 using that metric), higher for those > receptive to its oak/malo. 13.5% ABV.
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I enjoyed this wine outside at the winery last weekend on a 110 degree day and I loved it with all kinds of sushi today in my a/c dining room. Not overly complex but very real and drinkable on a warm day with food. An appreciable white wine alternative that’s not pretentious but delivers for the foodie wine geek too.
Mid-weight. Viscous. Non-trivial, not a throw-back shot of white wine, but worth savoring, offering texture or mouth-feel. A fine alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I'm glad that L'Ecole 41 makes the effort to craft a stand-alone Semillon. Thank you. I'm a fan of L'Ecole 41, a high quality company, visit them in Walla Walla if you can.
10/15/2023 - Teamrehfeld wrote:
Always good. Always consistent.
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4/15/2023 - oakville72 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not much in the nose, but flavors are redolent with melon and herbs. A bit too soft for my liking, perhaps because the wine was barrel fermented, which tends to reduce acidity. Some creaminess, suggesting the wine underwent at least partial malolactic. In a way, it reminds me of the Concannon Semillons of the 1960s and 1970s, which I liked a lot. They were also fermented in wood, though in their case it was redwood tanks.
(3/18/2022) Compared to a Bordeaux Semillon, rather fat but with the melon character indicative of Semillon. No doubt, the 12% Sauvignon Blanc cushions that, adding a bit of herbal character. L'Ecole No. 41 wines are very consistent, vintage after vintage, and always a good buy.
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12/12/2021 - srh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
Private Preserve used after Day 1
N: Toast, poss a touch of vanilla, sltly atop quince with notes of limes; Later, a creaminess
P: Med body; Oak atop a modicum of frt met by a slightly astringent acidity which DOES pretty much mitigate as it evolves into a LONG, eventually reasonably pleasant finish. Though the night's COSTCO's Roasted Chx & Gnocchi in Lt Tom Sauce slightly increased the astringency, it nonetheless DID manage to cleanse the palate with its firmness. While NOT my preferred Sémillon approach, it's well made in its oaky/malolactic style.
// Days 4 & 5: Has faded aromatically, the creaminess now being predominant. On the P oak (with its bitterness/harshness) now QUITE dominant.
// ∑: Particularly towards the end I *really* sensed the "almost chardonnay like...viscous body" mentioned in the TN of 12/6/21. The low end of my EXC- (90 pts), though as I said in my TN of 9/22/21, higher for those > receptive to its oak/malo, flavors that will become > dominant as it ages further. 13.5% ABV.
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12/6/2021 - crcarlson wrote: 87 Points
clean
clear bright lemon yellow
Beer, lemon zest almost TDN, chamomile on the nose
medium acid
medium alcohol to medium plus
lemon, lemon pith on tbe palate
Bitter phenolic finish
An almost chardonnay like mild wine with a viscous body but not a ton of character
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9/28/2021 - N777 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Purchased at their Walla Walla tasting room last spring.
Appearance: medium clear yellow with flecks of green. No gas or sediment
Nose: medium(+) intense aromas of lemon and honeydew melon. No apparent oaking to me
Palate: full bodied, creamy texture, medium/medium(+) acid, and dry. Medium(+) flavors of lemon/orange, marshmallow, and cream. Medium(+) balance, good complexity, and a nice medium/medium(+) creamy and slightly saline finish.
Really clean and well balanced with good fruit supported by creaminess. Very nice!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/22/2021 - srh Likes this wine:
Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
Private Preserve used after Day 1, though the ff'ing is from Day 3
N: Init too cold, but hints of apples, lemons, a creaminess, poss figs, the creaminess & hints of vanilla coming on with increased warmth
P: Rndish entry; Med, poss MF, body; Nice, almost swtish oak/frt counterbalanced by an acidity which drives the bus into the LONG, balanced finish which cleanses with its acidity & a very, VERY slight bitterness. While not my preferred style (> oak & malolactic than my druthers), it's a VERY well made wine that should drink into '23. My EXC- (90,91/100 using that metric), higher for those > receptive to its oak/malo. 13.5% ABV.
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9/1/2021 - Odedis.Wine.reviews wrote: 88 Points
This is a crisp Sémillon blend from Washington State.
Showing limes, grapefruits, lemons, citrus, green apples, bitter herbs, light vegetables and spices.
Dry on the palate with medium plus acidity.
Fruit forward and spicy.
Good by itself and better with food.
A blend of 88% Sémillon and 12% Sauvignon Blanc.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
88 points.
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8/3/2021 - srh Likes this wine:
Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
N: Sltly muted peaches with a creaminess & hints of lime
P: Stone frt, also those peaches. The relatives enjoyed it with their Grilled Salmon. 13.5% ABV
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7/3/2021 - Djfermentation Likes this wine: 92 Points
I enjoyed this wine outside at the winery last weekend on a 110 degree day and I loved it with all kinds of sushi today in my a/c dining room. Not overly complex but very real and drinkable on a warm day with food. An appreciable white wine alternative that’s not pretentious but delivers for the foodie wine geek too.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
7/1/2021 - der Schmecker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Mid-weight. Viscous. Non-trivial, not a throw-back shot of white wine, but worth savoring, offering texture or mouth-feel. A fine alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I'm glad that L'Ecole 41 makes the effort to craft a stand-alone Semillon. Thank you. I'm a fan of L'Ecole 41, a high quality company, visit them in Walla Walla if you can.
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1/11/2021 - Odedis.Wine.reviews wrote: 87 Points
Lemon in color with a green tint.
On the nose green apples, earth, grapefruits, herbs, spices and light green vegetables.
Medium bodied with medium plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with grapefruits, limes, lemons, green apples, bitter herbs, spices, vegetables and white pepper.
Short finish with bitter almonds.
This is a nice Sémillon blend from Washington State.
Crisp and refreshing. Earthy with a white Bordeaux feel.
A good food wine that I paired with cheeses and crackers.
A blend of 88% Sémillon and 12% Sauvignon Blanc. Fermented and aged in neutral French Oak barrels for 5 months.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
87 Points.
$15.
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11/26/2020 - Stephen Rash Likes this wine:
Opened to drink with our Thanksgiving meal. Didn't take any notes, but it was enjoyable with great texture and mouthfeel.
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