Airfield Estates

You can’t help but love the character of this place. Set in a hangar like setting, Airfield Estates is a memorable place to visit if you are in the Yakima valley. This expansive tasting room holds the strong lineup of Airfield wines. Airfield Estates uses 100% estate grown fruit.  Their vines were planted in 1968 by Don Miller and today the estate vineyard spans over 860 acres and includes 27 different varieties. I was particularly impressed with the incredible values that Airfield offers. Having not visited the tasting room in a few years, there were several wines that definitely impressed.

If you have not tried their 2013 Late Harvest Riesling, this is one to grab by the case. The richness, acid structure and viscosity of the wine is a huge accomplishment, considering the $15.00 price tag of the wine. Kudos to the Marcus Miller, head winemaker, on that one. Airfield’s red and white wines also impressed in their 2012 and 2013 releases. The 2014 Viognier was excellent and had wonderful lychee and pear flavors, with nice richness and depth. Their 2012 ‘Estate’ Merlot also impressed for the price and had wonderful red fruit flavors. That is another one to pick up by the case, as it has a wonderful silky texture. Winemaker Marcus Miller shows his skill with these new releases. Check out the strong lineup of Airfield Estates wines at airfieldestates.com #airfieldestates

2014 Airfield Estates Sauvignon Blanc- This is 100% stainless steel fermented and is estate fruit that was bottled in May 2015. There is gooseberry and lemongrass as well as white peach on the nose. There is nice minerality on the palate and a smooth mouthfeel. Flavors of grapefruit, red delicious apple and pear on the palate with a slight astringency. This would be a lovely pair for oysters. Drink 2015-2019-89

2014 Airfield Estates Fly Girl- This is a 100% stainless fermented wine that was bottled in May 2015. This value wine is a blend of 53% Pinot Gris, 22% Viognier, 13% Gewürztraminer and 12% Rousanne. This wine opens with aromas of honeysuckle, pear and lychee. There are flavors of vanilla, pear, red delicious and a nice clean finish. Drink 2015-2020. -89

2014 Airfield Estates Moscato-This is made with 1.4 residual sugar. Aromas of pear, golden delicious apple and lychee. There are flavors of pear, red delicious and cantaloupe. Smooth mouthfeel and a nice minerality. This is a tremendous value. Drink 2015-2020- 89

2014 Airfield Estates Dry Moscato- This interesting wine opens with aromas of jasmine, pear and cardamom. There are flavors of pear, cantaloupe, and Granny Smith Apple. Nice astringency and acid structure. I haven’t seen any value Washington wines quite like this. Drink 2015-2019-88

2014 Airfield Estates Viognier- This is 90% unoaked and the rest was in neutral barrels. This wine opens with aromas of white peach, banana and pear. There are flavors of lychee, pear and vanilla cream with a full mouthfeel. This has lovely texture and offers tremendous value. Drink 2015-2020-90

2014 Airfield Estates Chardonnay- This wine saw 30% neutral oak fermentation, with the rest fermented in stainless steel. There are aromas of pear, Gala apple, and starfruit with subtle oak. This leads to flavors of oak, pear and golden delicious apple. Beautiful texture to this wine that is velvety and buttery. Drink 2015-2022. -90

2013 Airfield Estates Lightning- This is a blend of 59% Viognier, 35% Roussane and 6% Marsanne. There are aromas of buttered toast, pear and honeydew. There are flavors of red delicious apple, pear and a long buttery finish. This forward style wine is delicious. Drink 2015-2019-89

2013 Airfield Estates Reserve Chardonnay- The fruit comes from the County Line vineyard that is primarily sandy loam soil and sits at a steep 10% grade, 1100 feet above sea level. This is 100% oaked Chard and spent 16 months in neutral French oak before being bottled in January 2015. The wine opens with aromas of oak, pear and golden delicious. This has pear, golden delicious and heavy whipping cream with a long cream finish. Delicious now. Drink 2015-2022-90

2013 Lone Birch Chardonnay- Airfield’s second label wine here impresses with aromas of pear, green apple and a touch of oak. There are flavors of pear, cantaloupe and green apple. Impressive effort considering the price point. Drink 2015-2019-88

2014 Lone Birch Pinot Gris- This was formerly the Airfield Pinot Gris and they now bottle this with Lone Birch. There are aromas of pear, Gala apple and lychee. There are flavors of red delicious apple, pear, nutmeg and a strong minerality. Delicious summer wine. Drink 2015-2019-89

2013 Lone Birch Red Blend- There are aromas of red cherry, prune and oak. Flavors of red cherry, guava and a bit saccharin driven. Drink 2015-2017-85

2013 Lone Birch Syrah- This is all estate fruit from the Airfield vineyard. There are open aromas of oak, red cherry, cherry tomato and blackberry. There are flavors of blackberry, red cherry and raspberry. Nice richness for the price point. Excellent value wine that will drink nicely over the next few years. Drink 2015-2019-88

2013 Lone Birch Cabernet- This delicious value wine opens with aromas of blackberry, red cherry and oak. There are nice rich flavors of blackberry, anise, red cherry and raspberry. Tasty and open wine for the price. Drink 2015-2020-89

2013 Airfield Estates Merlot- Slightly muted nose with dill, red cherry and raspberry. There are flavors of red cherry, pomegranate, dill and milk chocolate. Silky texture with good balance. Drink 2015-2022-90

2012 Airfield Estates Estate Merlot- This wine comes from the D-2 block in the Miller Vineyard that was planted in 1996 and is primarily silty loam over broken basalt. This was aged 19 months in 60% French, 30% American and 10% Eastern European oak (30% new), prior to bottling in September 2014. The wine opens with a rich nose with red cherry, dill and oak. There are flavors of black cherry, dill, raspberry and black olive. Delicious and excellent richness in this layered effort. Drink 2015-2022-91

2012 Airfield Estates ‘Runway’ Merlot-This 2200 case production wine comes from a Merlot block from the estate vineyard that was first planted in 1996. It has aromas of black cherry, blackberry and black olive. There are flavors of red cherry, raspberry and vanilla in this fruit driven wine. Drink 2015-2020-89

2012 Airfield Estates ‘Runway’ Cabernet-This wine comes from a block first planted in 1989 and is 100% estate fruit that was bottled in August 2013. It opens with aromas of raspberry, black cherry and black olive. There are flavors of blackberry, black olive and mocha. This is rock solid. Drink 2015-2022. -90

2013 Airfield Estates Cabernet- This warm vintage wine opens with aromas of blackberry, anise and coffee. There are flavors of blackberry, anise, black cherry and elegant acid backbone. Impressive effort for the price. Drink 2015-2023-91

2012 Airfield Estates Aviator- The vines for this wine come from the D-2 Merlot block and the E-5 Cabernet block, as well as the Black Rock site for the other varietals. This is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec. It begins with aromas of black cherry, oak and anise. There are flavors blackberry, anise and black cherry alongside moderate tannins. This has nice balance and moderate richness, with a nice acid backbone. Drink 2015-2022-89

2013 Airfield Estates Cabernet Franc- This 40 case production wine begins with aromas of dill, rosemary and sagebrush with red cherry. There are flavors of red cherry, raspberry and polished structure. Delicious red fruit character and brings out its feminine side. Drink 2015-2022-90

2012 Airfield Estates Dauntless- This Merlot dominant blend with aromas of blackberry, mocha and black cherry. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry and anise. Delicious effort. Drink 2015-2020-89

2013 Airfield Estates Runway Syrah-This Syrah comes from a block of the estate vineyard that was planted in 2002, situated right below the Roza canal at the headquarters of Black Rock Creek. There are aromas of black olive, black cherry and nutmeg. There are flavors of black cherry, blackberry and coffee. Delicious and polished effort that impresses considering the price. Drink 2015-2022-90

2012 Airfield Estates Spitfire- This is a blend of 60% Sangiovese with 30% Cabernet and 10% Merlot. There are aromas of red cherry, raspberry and blackberry. Flavors of blackberry, red cherry and cranberry flavors. This has nice balance. 495 cases made. Drink 2015-2020. -89

2013 Airfield Estates Late Harvest Riesling- This impressive bottling is made from frozen grapes and has 20% Residual sugar and only 9.6% alcohol. This wine required twice the typical amount of yeast, due to the high sugar levels. There are rich aromas of pineapple, golden delicious and ripe Bartlett pear. This has a wonderful texture and richness, leading to flavors of white raisin, nectarine, golden delicious apple and honey. Viscous and mineral driven wine that's serious. I would easily pay double the price for this. Drink 2015-2025-94