Airfield Estates Cabernet Sauvignon “Runway”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- 100% Estate grown.
- Vegan friendly.
- Runway is a stunning, co-fermented blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc, inspired by Right Bank Bordeaux.
Varietal: 51% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Franc
Elaboration: The grapes were then destemmed and sorted using an optical sorter before being sent to a small concrete tank to co-ferment together. Fermenting in concrete adds complexity and roundness to the wine while accentuating fruit character. After a cold soaking period of 72 hours, the wine was inoculated with two yeast strains: one to promote structure and varietal characteristics and the other for more bountiful fruit aromas. Our extraction protocol for a wine of this caliber is to be aggressive early in fermentation, giving the wine a délestage (removing all juice from the skins, then returning the juice to the skins) to extract color and flavor as well as enhance structure before higher alcohol levels are present. Once the alcohol reaches about 9-10%, we handle the fermentation with a gentler approach with fewer pump overs and punch downs. Fermented dry on the skins for about 16 days, the wine was then free ran from the skins and gently pressed. It was then sent to exclusive French oak barrels for aging (90% new French oak and 10% 2 to 3-year-old French oak). After malolactic fermentation, the wine’s lees were stirred twice a month for three months. This process helps create a round mouthfeel while naturally softening the wine. Overall, the wine was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels and then another month in concrete tank before being bottled. The last bit of concrete aging creates more complexity in the wine while lifting the aromas.
Tasting Notes: Medium to full-bodied, it offers aromas of sweet plum, blackcurrant, espresso bean, and smoked chocolate truffles. The wine presents velvety tannins on the mid-palate with secondary flavors of smoked figs, roasted dates, blackberry cobbler, and salted caramel. It concludes with elegance and power, featuring balanced acidity, soft tannins, and a lengthy finish with hints of seared cedar and roasted spice notes.
PRESS
2021- 90 Wine Enthusiast
2020-91 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Airfield Estates is a fourth-generation family vineyard based in the Yakima Valley, 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. 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.