Airfield Estates H. Lloyd Miller Red Blend
WHY WE LOVE IT
- 100% Estate Grown.
- Airfield Estates H. Lloyd Miller Red is an estate Bordeaux-style blend made from the finest reserve-tier vineyard blocks.
- This wine honors H. Lloyd Miller, founder of the family farm and creator of the Roza Irrigation Canal, which supplies water to 72,000 acres in the region. His entrepreneurial spirit inspires the family to uphold his legacy.
- It can be enjoyed now and for over 20 years.
Varietal: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc,1% Petit Verdot
Elaboration: The fruit was hand-harvested, de-stemmed without crushing, and sorted using optical technology before fermentation in small stainless-steel tanks. Co-fermentation improved fruit expression. Extraction methods like délestage enhanced color and aromas. The wine underwent 14 days of extended maceration for added complexity. The free-run wine was placed in new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, with lees stirring for four months. It matured for about 22 months before bottling.
Tasting Notes: A powerful Bordeaux-style blend that embodies depth, structure, and sophistication. The wine opens with layered aromas of dark cherry, blackberry marmalade, and blackcurrant, interwoven with notes of cola, smoked beechwood, and graphite. On the palate, it is both commanding and impeccably balanced, driven by firm, seamlessly integrated tannins that frame a tapestry of bramble berry, vanilla-infused truffle, salted caramel, seared leather, and subtle incense. Sweet, toasted oak adds warmth and dimension, extending the wine into a long, resonant finish.
PRESS
2020 – 94 Wine Enthusiast | 93 Vinous
2021 – 92 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Vinous
2022 – 93 Vinous | 90 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.