A winery that quite literally screams value, Airfield Estates has produced another outstanding lineup of Yakima Valley wines. I fondly recall visiting this winery prior to my job as a wine critic. It was the late 2000s and the wines were consistently great across the board. If someone new was in town, I usually took them to Airfield Estates so they could get a good feel for the quality and value that Washington wine consistently produces.
A winery that seems to do everything well from Sauvignon Blanc to Viognier to Syrah to dessert wine, Airfield Estates is one of the more established producers 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 their 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.
Former winemaker Marcus Miller has served as president for Airfield Estates for many years. He is a fantastic, down to earth guy. Travis Maple serves as winemaker making a range of fantastic value wines. His top wines are really excellent. Don’t miss out on the new 2021 Lone Birch Syrah (OB, 90) which punches above its weight class and is a classy effort for well under twenty bucks. I love the new 2020 Airfield Estates ‘Michael Miller’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which is chewy and round, showing a seamless mouthfeel. This beauty comes off clean and is a must-buy for any lover of Washington Rhones. Learn about this great historic Yakima Valley winery at http://www.airfieldwines.com Here are the great new wines by Airfield Estates.
2022 Lone Birch Riesling- The 2022 Lone Birch Riesling is a total knockout wine for the price. Made in the ’Trocken’ style, the Riesling just offers the slightest kiss of sweetness, as nectarine and kiwi friuits combine with stony accents. Enjoy now. Drink 2023-2027- 90
2022 Lone Birch Rose- Made entirely from Syrah grapes, this 2022 Rose offers rich red fruit flavors with sweetened peach notes and a smooth texture on the palate. Drink 2023-2027- 89
2021 Lone Birch Syrah- Very dark in the glass, the great value 2022 Lone Birch Syrah shows smoked BBQ beef rib flavors alongside lavender and boysenberry preserves on the palate. Drink 2023-2029- 90
2021 Airfield Estates ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Brut- The 2021 Airfield Estates ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Brut is a blend of 88% Pinot Noir, 12% Pinot Meunier that spent 13 months en tirage before disgorgement. Given 7G/L dosage, this offers wonderful richness and dense pear, nectarine and apricot flavors on the palate, showing stony minerals and salty undertones. Delicious to consume now, this has both the stuffing and finesse to age gracefully over the next decade. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2022 Airfield Estates Sauvignon Blanc- Coming from their Yakima Valley estate vineyard, this 2022 Sauvignon Blanc offers a smooth mouthfeel with plenty of mouth-watering acidity on the palate. Kiwi, gooseberry and pink grapefruit flavors all brilliantly combine here. This is a killer value that is best served on the slightly warmer side to take in the outstanding texture and range of flavors. Drink 2023-2029- 91
2021 Airfield Estates ‘Donald Miller’ Chardonnay- The 2021 ‘Donald Miller’ is a barrel selection wine that is a tribute to owner Marcus Miller’s grandfather. Showing off its golden hue, this is just as rich as the color suggests. Honeydew melon, ripe peach and baking spice dusted pastry crust flavors all brilliantly combine on the palate, with nutty accents. This is silky throughout the drinking experience as this beautiful 2021 Chardonnay is best consumed on the slightly warmer side. Drink 2023-2031- 93
2022 Airfield Estates Rose- Made entirely from estate Sangiovese grapes this has a touch of sweetness with guava and strawberry fruits alongside citrus rind accents on the palate. Nicely textured, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2023-2028- 90
2021 Airfield Estates ‘Dauntless’ Red Wine- The 2021 ‘Dauntless’ is a compelling blend of 50% Merlot wth 30% Cabernet Franc and the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. It is soft and very approachable now with a smooth texture. Red currants and red bell pepper notes combine with suggestions of chocolate cake and loganberry flavors. Really good, this will cellar well for another eight plus years to come. Drink 2023-2031- 91
2021 Airfield Estates Merlot- The 2021 Airfield Estates Merlot shows off roasted figs, baking spices and red. Cherry on the palate, with hints of tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied and nicely textured, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2023-2030- 91
2021 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Merlot- The 100% varietal ‘Reserve’ Merlot is a barrel selection by the Airfield winemaking team. Cocoa powder and ripe black plum flavors nicely complement the toasty oak and rich baking spices that combine on the palate. Finishing long, with good weight, this is delicious, already nicely evolved Merlot that will cellar well for another decade. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2020 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Soft and generous on the mouth, the 2020 Airfield Estates ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a really good wine in this tough vintage. Ripe cassis and anise with shades of milk chocolate and menthol all combine on the palate. Everything is deftly balanced here like a fine Swiss-made watch. Drink 2023-2029- 92
2020 Airfield Estates ‘Michael Miller’ Red Wine- The absolutely delicious 2020 ‘Michael Miller’ is mainly comprised of Syrah (80%) with smaller parts Grenache, Mourvèdre and a splash of Viognier. This Rhone-inspired blend pays homage to Michael L. Miller, who founded Airfield Estates Winery and also was responsible for expanding their estate vineyard. This comes off nicely concentrated with voluptuous red and dark fruit flavors, showing sagebrush, chocolate and coffee ground notes. This is quite simply a masterful, very heady effort in this vintage that is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2023-2030- 94
2019 Airfield Estates ‘H. Lloyd Miller’ Red Wine- The really good 2019 ‘H. Lloyd Miller’ is a Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) based blend that also utilizes Merlot and Cabernet Franc with just a touch of Petit Verdot. This shows the coolness of the vintage with its herbal tones on the palate, unveiling rich dark currant, tobacco leaf and chocolate pie flavors. Drinking marvelously now, with good viscosity and underlying finesse, this will easily cellar for another fifteen years to come. Drink 2023-2038- 93