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L'ecole No. 41 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard 2012 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
appellation
Walla Walla
WA
93
Additional vintages
WA
93
Rated 93 by Wine Advocate
Along the same lines as the Perigee, the 2012 Apogee Pepperbridge Vineyard has a slightly darker fruit profile to go with notes of graphite, crushed rock and roasted meats. It too has a full-bodied, structured, concentration and tannic feel, so short-term cellaring is advised. It will have two decades of longevity. The blend here is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Malbec, with aging spanning 22 months in 50% new French oak.
Image of bottle
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L'ecole No. 41 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard 2012 750ml

SKU 770513
Out of Stock
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More Details
barrel

Vintage: 2012

2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
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Region: Washington State

Since it began in the 1820s, wine-production in Washington state has gone from strength to strength, with many of the finest United States wines coming out over the past twenty years hailing from this region. Today, the state is the second largest US producer of wines, behind California, with over forty thousand acres under vine. The state itself is split into two distinct wine regions, separated by the Cascade Range, which casts an important rain shadow over much of the area. As such, the vast majority of vines are grown and cultivated in the dry, arid desert-like area in the eastern half of the state, with the western half producing less than one percent of the state's wines where it is considerably wetter. Washington state is famed for producing many of the most accessible wines of the country, with Merlot and Chardonnay varietal grapes leading the way, and much experimentation with other varietals characterizing the state's produce in the twenty-first century.
fields

Country: United States

Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Walla Walla

Washington State is a fascinating wine region, and one which typifies the kind of quality and innovation currently found in the United States' wine scene, with widespread utilization of modern and traditional wine making methods, resulting in magnificent wines of character and distinction. Within Washington State, we find the beautiful sub-region of Walla Walla, a relatively small area typified by rolling hillsides and arid, dry soils. Walla Walla benefits enormously from the hot and dry climate it receives, which allows the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietal grapes which grow there to reach full ripeness each year, and express all of their wonderful flavors and aromas. Due to a very successful few decades, the number of wineries in Walla Walla has increased rapidly, meaning that more and more different and quality wines are now coming out of this unique and fascinating place.