Airfield Estate Syrah
WHY WE LOVE IT
- This wine will be age worthy and enjoyable in its youth and will be a wine that will make a lasting impression.
- Airfield Syrah is sourced exclusively from the Estate Vineyard located in the Yakima Valley AVA.
- Creating a wine of this caliber starts in the vineyard where they meticulously manage the size of the crop, then late in the season make sure the vines have proper exposure to achieve optimal ripeness.
- A bit of concrete aging creates more complexity in the wine while lifting the aromas.
Varietal: 100% Syrah
Elaboration: The grapes were destemmed but not crushed and sorted using an optical sorter before being sent to small fermenters. To obtain more complex aromas and mouthfeel, the wine underwent a native ferment, using the grapes natural yeast to complete alcoholic fermentation. Extraction on Syrah’s are always my favorite as we can use many methods of extraction without fear of over extracting flavors. Fermented at temperatures of 88-90 degrees with aggressive extraction methods used early on such as a delastage, then tapered off to more gentle extraction methods as to not over extract the wine and maintain a soft and lush mouthfeel. Fermented on the skins until dry for about 15 days then drained and gently pressed. After pressing the wine was then sent to French Oak barrels with 40% New French oak, 30% 1–3-year-old French Oak and 30% Neutral Oak and inoculated for Malo-Lactic fermentation. After MLF was completed, the wines lees were stirred twice a month for three months. Incorporating lees into the wines naturally softens the wine, creating more roundness and depth on the palate. During aging, the care of the wines is meticulous work. We top every wine twice a week and this wine had 3 rackings during its aging. Aged for approximately 20 months in French oak before being racked to a concrete tank for 1 month of concrete aging than prepped for bottling.
Tasting Notes: Airfield Syrah is a rich and full-bodied wine that displays aromas of dark plums, sweet cassis melded with hints of orange oil, soy sauce and smoked barbeque. The palate displays silk like texture with flavors of baker’s chocolate, blackberry dates, and a touch of black olive tapenade. The wine has a flesh like finish that lingers with beautiful notes of oak and a touch of minerality. Enjoy now through 2036, optimal maturity should peak around 2030.
PRESS
n/a
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.