The 2006 Merlot Seven Hills Vineyard includes 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc in the blend. It is more deeply colored, more expressive with aromas of spice box, cedar, leather, and an amalgam of red fruits. Smooth-textured, with excellent depth and concentration, this well-balanced effort will evolve for 2-3 years and be at its best from 2010 to 2017. L’Ecole No. 41 is one of Walla Walla’s pioneers, the third modern day winery in the Valley. Over the years the winery has prospered, outgrown the namesake schoolhouse, and now produces about 35,000 cases with distribution in all 50 states and abroad. Despite the expansion, quality has remained consistently excellent. L’Ecole’s original fame was the result of its success with Semillon. Today the winery produces three. Tel. (509) 525-0940; www.lecole.com

In the glass there is a sense of depth that goes beyond anything previously apparent; the mixed aromas of flower, berry and chocolate-covered rock lead into a wine of presence and power, its pretty, spicy berry and cherry flavors tightly wound and wrapped in seductive but lightly applied layers of chocolate and caramel.——P.G.(12/1/2008)—— 91