L’Ecole No. 41 – The Honor Roll tour and tasting

While it’s past the start of the new school year, there’s still time to enroll in L’Ecole’s Honor Roll tasting and winery tour. Offered Friday afternoons from May through November, this one-hour special session might be the best time you’ve ever had in a classroom.

Located in Lowden, just west of Walla Walla on U.S. Highway 12, the beautifully restored 1915 schoolhouse is the perfect setting to broaden your mind and stimulate your palate. The teacher is L’Ecole tasting room manager (and walking dictionary of wine knowledge) Brandon Kubrock. His class takes place in the winery’s picturesque wine cellar, housed in the school’s former cafeteria and auditorium (complete with chalkboard and a refurbished mural from Christmas pageants nearly a century past).

Kubrock starts class with a white wine tasting, paired with an overview of the winery and its historic home. Now that he has your attention, you’re led on an in-house field trip, walking you (literally) through L’Ecole’s wine-making process from vine to bottle. Along the way you’ll sample recent vintages right from the barrel while learning the science, geology and technique behind each oak cask of wine.

The best is saved for last, as Kubrock resumes class in one of L’Ecole two wine libraries. With a new selection of limited-production, library and reserve wines featured each month, you’ll taste your way through a lineage of rare time capsules — and enjoy some exciting new vintages. Most of these reserve wines are available for purchase after class (limit two bottles per person).

Want some extra credit? The name L’Ecole is French for “the school.” If you can’t remember that, just bring an apple.

Fridays, May through November

2-3 p.m.

$25 per person ($10 for L’Ecole wine club members) Call ahead to reserve your seat

41 Lowden School Road

Walla Walla, WA 99362

509.525.0940, ext. 111, or

brandon@lecole.com

www.lecole.com