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L' Ecole N 41
WALLA WALLA
A leap of faith—and a little old schoolhouse—are the forces that eventually
propelled L'Ecole N° 41 managing winemaker and co-owners Marty Clubb
and his wife, Megan, to move to the Walla Walla Valley permanently in 1989,
leaving the business world in San Francisco behind in favor of the beautiful
grape. They weren't too far from home though, so to speak, as the family-
owned winery was originally founded by Megan's parents, Jean and Baker
Ferguson, six years earlier—making it the third oldest winery in the valley.
As for what's in its name, for L'Ecole N° 41, the answer is just about everything.
Translated from French, it means "the school," which is apropos given the
winery was named for a historic 1915 schoolhouse in Frenchtown's Walla Walla
school district number 41. That two-room schoolhouse now serves as the
headquarters for the winery—and it's also the centerpiece art that's depicted
on each wine label. The winery's restored Tasting Room occupies one of
the two classrooms and preserves the schoolhouse character with original
chalkboards, light fixtures, fir floors, and moldings. In the cellar, there's even a
children's water fountain as well as a restored mural that was originally hand-
painted by the school children for their Christmas pageant.
What's more, Frenchtown itself derived its name from the many French-
Canadians who settled there during the early 1800s, eventually introducing
the early roots of nurseries, vineyards, and winemaking to the region's
growing economy. In this way, L'Ecole is not only an authentic, artisan winery
built on experience and innovation, it also truly salutes its heritage and the
pioneer viticulture efforts of the area.
FACING PAGE: L'Ecole N° 41 located in the historic
Frenchtown Schoolhouse built in 1915.
TOP RIGHT: Tasting L'Ecole N° 41's award-winning wines
in the historic Frenchtown Schoolhouse is a must for wine
lovers seeking the best from Washington State.
Photographs by Sander Olson
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