The white wines begin with the medium straw-colored 2008 Chenin Blanc Walla Voila. The wine is sourced from a vineyard planted in 1972. Just off-dry (1.2% RS) in the style of Vouvray, it offers a nose of fresh melon and spring flowers. It has lively acidity, excellent balance, and is an ideal picnic or aperitif wine. 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.Tel. (509) 525-0940; www.lecole.com

This perennial favorite is a domestic Chenin Blanc with complexity, not just sugar. Vouvray is the model, and this is a successful take on the Loire, but with a Washington twist—more fruit intensity, less minerality. The wine bursts with melon, tangerine and pineapple fruit, set against lip-licking acids.——P.G.(11/1/2009)—— 89