Airfield Estates

Airfield Estates is a fourth-generation family vineyard based in the Yakima Valley AVA, Washington. Today the winery is overseen by brother-sister duo Marcus Miller and Lori Stevens. The siblings prepared themselves for this endeavor. Marcus pursued an MBA in Finance and a degree in Viticulture and Enology, interning at Canoe Ridge in Walla Walla, he also worked as winemaker at Tsilan Cellars in Chelan and harvester at Montana Brancott Winery in Marlborough, New Zealand. Laurie obtained a Master’s in Wine Business from the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, South Australia, with a background in retail distribution management.

Prior to its farming days, Airfield Estates operated as a training base for hundreds of Army Air Corps pilots during World War II. The airbase closed in 1944, and the airplane hangars and other buildings were auctioned off to the Miller family for $1. Initially, the ranch produced alfalfa, asparagus, potatoes, onions, and oats, as well as cattle and hogs. Founder H. Lloyd Miller’s entrepreneurial spirit brought him in contact with President Roosevelt to find the funding for the Rosa Canal Project in the Yakima Valley, enabling irrigation water access from the high mountains to the soon-to-be established 830-acre winery. In 1967, Don Miller, the current owner’s grandfather, planted three “test” varietals, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which would lead to more than 20 different varietals being greenhouse-propagated and commercially planted by 1971 as the oldest established AVA in Washington State.

Inherent to the wine production here is the philosophy that great wines begin in the vineyard. Using 100% estate-grown fruit, the well-balanced wines showcase the subtleties of the terroir. Airfield Estates’ location places it in a glacier-cut valley between the lava-layered foothills of Rattlesnake Mountains, yielding a silt loam soil dispersed with fractured basalt, giving a high degree of growing diversity to the vineyard. In particular, the terroir is ideal for growing vitas vinifera vines. The high desert climate, hot summer days and cool nights allow the fruit to ripen and retain its natural acidity.

As is often the case, the glue holding Airfield Estates together is Kristeen Miller – mother, grandmother, and glue of the family of four generations of wine growers. The pride, passion, and dedication of those World War II aviators who served and trained on the ground of the future vineyard inspire the current tenders of the grape. The memories of these aviators are paid tribute with the Airfield wines. Tasting rooms are available in Woodinville, Prosser, and Vancouver, Washington.