A few days ago I was on the phone with Marcus Miller, winemaker at Airfield Estates. We began talking about his penchant for making top class dessert wines and I mentioned to him that I had a bottle of his 2013 ‘Late Harvest’ Riesling. I simply had to open it on the call and boy was I massively impressed. This wine was fresh and vibrant, marvelously textured with gorgeous peach, apricot and candied ginger tones. It isn’t easy to make a great dessert wine but Marcus definitely brings a deft hand with these wines.
As we begin 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 for many years. He is a fantastic, down to earth guy. He is producing some excellent wines that ‘fly’ under the radar. Marcus has previously interned 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 2019 Airfield Estates Chardonnay (OB, 90) which is a killer bargain and has great range with a long finish. This wine shows good richness and wonderful herbal tones. I really enjoyed the 2018 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Syrah (OB, 92) which has gorgeous terroir here with the smoky and meaty character alongside a great core of dark fruits. This one is sure to please any lover of Washington Syrah. Learn about this great historic Yakima Valley winery at http://www.airfieldwines.com Here are the great new wines by Airfield Estates.
2020 Airfield Estates Sauvignon Blanc- Airfield Estates has remarkably been growing Sauvignon Blanc on their estate vineyard for 40 years. This shows lovely unripe melon and starfruit tones with hints of gooseberry and Jalepeno pepper on the palate. Showing good freshness, enjoy in the short-term. Drink 2021-2024- 89
2019 Airfield Estates Chardonnay- The 2019 Airfield Estates Chardonnay saw a combination of stainless steel and French oak barrel fermentation before bottling. The resulting wine shows a soft texture and great sense of mouthfeel, with ripe orchard fruits and banana tones that all lead to a long and gratifying finish. Drink 2021-2025- 90
2019 Airfield Estates ‘Donald D. Miller’ Chardonnay- A limited production, roughly 200 case bottling, the 2019 ‘Donald D. Miller’ was stored in largely new French oak (85%) prior to bottling. The wine is beautifully textured while showing good freshness and bright acidity. Sourdough bread and lemon zest tones collide with minerals, smoke and flinty undertones. A great wine to enjoy now, with serious length, the 2019 ‘Donald D. Miller’ will cellar well over the next eight plus years. Drink 2021-2029- 92
2018 Airfield Estates ‘Hellcat’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Hellcat’ blends Tempranillo (68%) with Syrah (32%). The palate shows a silky texture with rich red and dark fruits, with tobacco leaf, leather and milk chocolate tones. Delicious to savor now, enjoy this great effort over the next five to seven years. Drink 2021-2026- 90
2018 Lone Birch Syrah- The 2018 Lone Birch Syrah delivers some serious bang for your buck. Smoke and menthol tones fill the nose alongside cassis tones. The palate has good freshness and mid-palate ripeness with dark fruits and tobacco tones alongside smoky undertones. Drink 2021-2025- 89
2018 Airfield Estates ‘Mustang’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Mustang’ is a Rhone style blend of 64% Syrah with the remainder Grenache and Mourvedre. The wine is geared towards freshness but comes off a touch linear with pretty red fruits, green peppercorns and smoky undertones stealing the show. Drink 2021-2025- 89
2018 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Syrah- Given a 2% Viognier co-ferment, the 2018 ‘Reserve’ Syrah is an awesome new wine by the talented team of Marcus Miller and Travis Maple. The nose shows gobs of smoked meats with lavender, white pepper and sage undertones alongside a core of rich dark fruits. The palate is plush, showing a soft texture and wonderful sense of depth and concentration. Bulls blood, blackberry cordial, mocha, tar and smoked brisket tones all wonderfully collide on the palate, with a good acid backbone. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next decade. Drink 2021-2030- 92
2018 Airfield Estates ‘Michael L. Miller’ Red Wine- This Rhone inspired wine blends 53% Syrah with 33% Grenache and 14% Mourvedre and is a tribute to Michael L. Miller who founded Airfield Estates. The nose entices with dried garrigue tones alongside smoked pork shoulder, venison blood and black currants that all march in unison. The palate is very fresh, focused and pure, with a soft mouthfeel and wonderful length. This has a great air of elegance and refinement with a seamless texture and a core of dark fruits and creosote, woven together with black pepper and smoky tones. Gorgeous to enjoy right now, this has a long way to go in the cellar. Drink 2021-2032- 93
2018 Airfield Estates Cabernet Sauvignon- This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine was aged for nineteen months in 43% new French oak prior to bottling. Done in the fresher style, showing medium-bodied dark fruits and chocolate fudge flavors, this is best enjoyed over the next five to seven years. Drink 2021-2026- 89
2018 Airfield Estates ‘Runway’ Red Wine- A right bank style wine comprised of 55% Merlot with the remainder Cabernet Franc, the 2018 ‘Runway’ shows rich cassis and mocha tones, with cocoa powder dusted black cherry and pipe tobacco accents on the palate. Full-bodied and showing plenty of bright acidity, this has some really nice aging potential. Drink 2021-2031- 92
2018 Airfield Estates ‘H. Lloyd Miller’ Red Wine- A Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine, the ‘H. Lloyd Miller’ Red Wine is a homage to Marcus Miller’s great-grandfather, a pioneer of the Yakima Valley, who founded their family farm in the early 1900’s and helped create the Roza Irrigation Canal, which supplies water to 72,000 acres of farmland in the Yakima Valley. Once on the nose this takes on cassis and anise tones alongside sagebrush, huckleberry jelly and shades of Turkish coffee that all take shape in the glass. The palate is soft and elegant with a silky mouthfeel. Rich dark fruits parade with shades of blueberry, espresso bean and dried herbs. This is seriously good even at the three year mark, as the 2018 ‘H. Lloyd Miller’ Red Wine will cellar well for a decade or more to come. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2019 Airfield Estates ‘Late Harvest’ Riesling- Over the past decade or so, Airfield Estates has gained a sterling reputation for their dessert style wines. A recent phone call with Marcus Miller sparked me to uncork a 2013 ‘Late Harvest’ bottling that was still fresh and vibrant. The 2019 Airfield Estates ‘Late Harvest’ Riesling shows pretty honeysuckle and white peach aromatics alongside shades of candied ginger and kumquat tones. The palate is dense and viscous, giving an off an unctuous character. Layers of ripe peach and candied Mandarin orange oil with apricot jelly and stony minerals fill the palate. This is seriously good stuff now that will cellar for at least another decade. Drink 2021-2035- 93