Getting towards the end of a great Washington Wine Month, we bring you a fantastic producer of everything from Viognier to Syrah to dessert wine. Airfield Estates is one of the older wineries in the Yakima Valley, located in Prosser. The Miller family has a longstanding history in the valley, as in 1951 H. Lloyd Miller became the chairman of the Roza Irrigation Canal Board, and began farming on his property, Airport Ranch, where the winery now sits. His son, Don, took over the estate, planing a range of crops including asparagus, alfalfa, potatoes, onions, oats, hogs, cattle, mint, and sugar beets. In 1968, Don planted Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Cabernet Sauvignon marking the early beginnings of the Airfield Estate vineyard.
Don’s son, Mike Miller, gradually transitioned our farm into what it is today which consists of 830 acres of wine grapes and 350 acres of Concord juice grapes. In 2005, Mike founded Airfield Estates Winery, and he brought his son, Marcus, and daughter, Lori, on board to help manage the daily operations.
Marcus Miller has served as winemaker for Airfield Estates, and he is a fantastic, down to earth guy. He is producing some excellent wines that ‘fly’ under the radar. Marcus has previously internet at Canoe Ridge in Walla Walla, also worked as a winemaker at Tsillan Cellars in Chelan. His new release wines were really good across the board,. Check out the beautiful 2016 Airfield Estates Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 90) which is a killer bargain at a mere $18.00. This wine shows good richness and wonderful herbal tones. I really enjoyed the 2016 Airfield Estates Red Wine (WWB, 91) which is mainly Cabernet and Merlot and shows really good balance and forward red fruit flavors. Learn about this great historic Yakima Valley winery at http://www.airfieldwines.com Here are the great new wines by Airfield Estates.
2016 Airfield Estates ‘Bombshell Red’ Red Wine- This wine shows copious dark fruits on the nose with tar and sagebrush accents. The palate is ripe, showing good acidity and bright dark and blue fruit flavors with a touch of citrus rind. This is an excellent value effort by Airfield Estates. Drink 2019-2024- 89
2015 Airfield Estates Syrah- The nose takes on dark fruits with chocolate and Asian spices. The sense of place and balance on the palate is lovely. Dark cherry, roasted date and milk chocolate flavors impress. I can see the Syrah cellaring well for a decade as this is a fantastic effort by the talented Marcus Miller. Drink 2019-2024- 90
2016 Airfield Estates Red Wine- Mainly Cabernet and Merlot, this shows a deep color and reveals beautiful dark cherry cordial, cassis and mocha aromatics in the glass. The palate is dense and open, with extremely light tannins. Dark cherry, coffee grounds and chocolate fudge flavors come to mind. Decadent and delicious, this is another great effort by Airfield Estates. Drink 2019-2024- 91
2016 Airfield Estates ‘Dauntless’ Red Wine- The ‘Dauntless’ is Airfield Estate’s right back style red wine. Immediately you are drawn to the lovely herbal tones of the wine. Sagebrush and red bell pepper aromatics come to mind with red fruits connecting nicely. The palate shows a silky mouthfeel, with red currant, red cherry candy and Christmas spice flavors. Drink 2018-2024- 90
2016 Airfield Estates Cabernet Sauvignon-The wine shows good herbaceousness on the nose with sagebrush and wild thyme that connects with blackberry cordial on the nose. The palate is open and round, not showing any tannins. Black and red fruits mingle with chocolate undertones. This is really well-done. Drink 2019-2024- 90
2015 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon - The 2015 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a seriously good wine made by Marcus Miller. Creme de cassis, Turkish coffee and blueberry compote aromatics fill the glass and entice. The palate is round and generous, as the wine shows graphite, anise, creme de cassis and dark chocolate cake flavors. While this is delicious now, the wine will cellar well for another decade. Drink 2019-2028- 91
2015 Airfield Estates Merlot- Forward and plush, the 2015 Airfield Estates Merlot reveals good dark fruit flavors with a touch of chocolate. This shows good poise considering the obvious heat of the vintage. Drink 2019-2024- 89
2014 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Merlot- The nose takes on tar and smoky undertones with dark fruits and coffee grounds that connect in the glass. The palate shows good depth and richness, showing off black teal, anise, cassis and milk chocolate flavors. This is downright delicious. Drink 2019-2028- 91