L'ECOLE NO. 41 - Perigee - 2013

L'ECOLE NO. 41

Perigee 2013

- 91 points -

Bright red-ruby. Perfumed, inviting nose combines cassis, black cherry, blackberry, licorice, bitter chocolate and violet, along with a distinct herbal element and good savory lift. Wonderfully juicy and fine-grained but quite reticent; possesses lovely texture even if the wine is a bit hermetic today. This penetrating, youthfully medicinal blend combines firm acidity and strong saline minerality. Finishes with somewhat rough tannins that will require patience--and yet this wine is still a bit more delicate than the Apogee. Marty Clubb noted that the big expansion in Seven Hills took place in 1997 and 1998, so these vines are now beginning to mature. The older vines are planted along a north-south axis, giving less even ripening. Incidentally, there's 12 to 15 feet of accumulated loess here on top of the flood silts.

Stephen Tanzer, November 2016