L’Ecole No. 41 Winery assistant manager Ryan Rogel talks with guests Abby Johnson, left, and Andrew Feller, visitors from Denver, on Aug. 4, 2023, at the vineyard in Lowden, Washington.

LOWDEN, Wash. — For 40 years, L’Ecole No. 41 has been producing world class wines from the vineyards that dot the Walla Walla Valley floor.

“We thought about going back to our beginnings,” said Marty Clubb, owner and managing winemaker for L’Ecole No. 41. “Over the years I’ve had at least a million people say, “When are you going to come out with the old label?”

On the counter of L’Ecole’s tasting room at 41 Lowden School Road, rests a 2020 40th Anniversary Red Wine bottle sporting the original label that longtime customers might recognize.

L’Ecole No. 41’s initial wine labels featured a charming depiction of a Schoolhouse. Jean and Baker Ferguson, the winery’s founders, organized an art competition within the extended family’s elementary school children, seeking an image for the wine label.

The winning design, a watercolor by 8-year-old Ryan Campbell, a third-grade cousin, graced L’Ecole wine labels throughout the inaugural 25 years of winemaking.

The wine in this production is made of L’Ecole’s oldest vineyards in Walla Walla. Clubb said the red blend is made with an early style of winemaking in mind to really hit the message home: L’Ecole is looking back to its roots for its 40th anniversary.

“When we started, the wine industry really wasn’t established, in fact, it was so new that nobody had really thought of wine tourism,” Clubb said. “It was pretty rare that anybody would come and knock on the door to come and taste.”

L’Ecole No. 41 is the third winery established in the Walla Walla Valley and is the 20th to be established in the state.

The Fergusons founded the winery in 1983 as their retirement project. Since its inception, L’Ecole has become one of the most honored wineries in the state, including an International Trophy in 2014 for Best Bordeaux Blend in the World by Decanter for the 2011 Estate Ferguson. On the heels of that award, the winery won a second International Trophy in the 2016 Six Nations Wine Challenge for the Best New World Bordeaux Blend for the 2013 Estate Ferguson.

Wine & Spirits Magazine has recognized L’Ecole as a top 100 Winery of the Year 16 times. This achievement is shared by only 18 other wineries in the world.

“Walla Walla and Washington are literally on the world map because of the wine industry here,” Clubb said. “We have had our fair share of many great honors, but so has a lot of other wineries in Walla Walla. It’s a collective success story.”

Megan Clubb, the daughter of L’Ecole’s founders, said when her parents first entered the wine business, people thought they were crazy to think that Walla Walla was conducive for cultivating vineyards.

As it turns out the terroir, or the environmental factors that affect a crop, were perfect for wine grapes. The Walla Walla Valley is now home to more than 120 wineries and almost 3,000 acres of vineyards.

“When mom and dad started the winery, they were really passionate about the opportunity in Walla Walla,” Clubb said. “I still run into people who thought anyone that was thinking wine could be created here in the state of Washington was just nuts.”

Clubb said the winery’s success can be boiled down to authenticity in which they make their product.

“My parent’s vision for L’Ecole was to be able to put a bottle of wine that they had made on the table and say this is competitive in the world market,” she said. “They were very focused on quality.”

Her husband, who is also the managing winemaker for L’Ecole, said the magic starts simply with the fruit they plant in the vineyard, which is then harvested in late summer and early fall.

Marty Clubb said the sheer number of wineries in the Valley that are decorated with wine industry accolades and awards is what has pushed L’Ecole to the forefront in Washington.

“The early motivation was always quality,” he said. “The other founding vineyards were focused on quality as well. The result is that everyone in the Valley is pushing each other to produce the best wines they can. This has changed the mindset of who we are as a Valley. You can almost always count on wine from the Walla Walla Valley to be good.”

For the Clubb family, the outpouring support the Walla Walla Valley and beyond has given during the past 40 years is what they said has fueled the passion for the production of great quality wines every time.

“Walla Walla has given us such a great quality of life for our family,” Megan Clubb said.

“We are so happy we made the decision to move here,” her husband added. “Life has been wonderful.”