January 12th, 2011
2009 COUNOISE – DOUBLE GOLD
100% Counoise. As a great blending component, this varietal often goes unnoticed. However, this vintage produced a wine of such high quality that it warranted being bottled as a stand-alone variety. This medium-bodied wine is multi-dimensional with layers of spice, toasted oak, dark cherry, and plum. It has soft tannins, an elegant structure, and exceptional balance. It pairs well with chicken, turkey, slow-cooked meats, and creamy pasta dishes.
• Silver Medal, 2010 Tri-Cities Wine Festival
$28 (This limited release is only available to Airfield Wine Club Members.)
2008 MERLOT – GOLD
100% Merlot. This complex, concentrated Merlot captivates the senses with intense flavors of dark berry and plum. Low yielding vines and extended barrel aging have brought forth supple tannins and a full-bodied mouthfeel creating a balance that can hold its own against hearty meats, yet it pairs perfectly with pasta.
• 90 Points, Wine Advocate
• Silver Medal, 2010 NW Food & Wine Festival
$22 BUY ONLINE
2009 TEMPRANILLO – GOLD
100% Tempranillo. This red wine will surely captivate the senses. It showcases succulent, ripe flavors of boysenberry and blueberry. Upon entry, it exhibits a smooth, round, mouthfeel with a striking balance. On the finish, the tannins take hold and linger on the tongue. This wine is traditionally paired with Spanish style dishes. It is a good match for flavorful grilled meats, spicy foods, and medium hard to hard cheeses.
$20 BUY ONLINE
2009 MUSTANG – SILVER
61% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 7% Cinsault, 5% Mourvèdre, & 2% Cousoise. This Rhone style red blend lends complexity to both the nose and the palate. Concentrated flavors of cherry emerge with underlying hints of white pepper and toasted oak. Yielding velvety tannins and a smooth, well-balanced finish, this wine pairs impeccable with grilled meats, wild game, robust cheeses, and rich flavored pastas.
$25 (Please email info@airfieldwines.com for ordering information.)
2008 AVIATOR – SILVER
This complex blend has a rich bouquet of dark berries, spice and vanilla bean. Well structured tannins frame the way for flavors of boysenberry and black cherry to disperse across the palate. Enjoy this rich blend with pheasant, braised meats, and hard cheeses.
• 92 Points, Wine Advocate
• Best of Class, 2010 Tri-Cities Wine Festival
• Bronze Medal, 2010 NW Food & Wine Festival
$30 BUY ONLINE
2009 UNOAKED CHARDONNAY
Crisp, dry, and refreshing with aromas of honeysuckle, melon, and tropical fruit, this 100% stainless steel fermented Chardonnay showcases authentic varietal characteristics. Citrus flavors engage the palate with a round, lively mouthfeel and a lingering finish. This wine is enjoyable on its own or pairs nicely with seafood and pan-Asian cuisine.
• Outstanding, 2010 Seattle Wine Awards
• Excellent, Wine Press Northwest (Fall 2010)
• Silver Medal, 2010 Tri-Cities Wine Festival
• Silver Medal, 2010 NW Food & Wine Festival
• Bronze, Sunshine & Wine Competition
• 87 Points, Wine Advocate
$12 BUY ONLINE
Posted in Accolades, Aviator, Counoise, Merlot, Mustang, Tempranillo, Unoaked Chardonnay, Wine Competition
August 25th, 2010
People often think of Thai food as heavy and intense, the kind of rich, spicy food you’d want simmering on the stove on a cold winter’s night—but not exactly what you’d crave on a sunny day. But there is more to Thai food than the thick curry and greasy stir-fry mainstays of American Thai-restaurant buffets. This summery Thai-inspired menu shows the versatility of Thai flavors with two light and cool dishes, perfectly suited to refresh on even the hottest summer’s day.
The hardest part about cooking Thai food is usually figuring out a balance between salty, sweet, sour and spicy. The recipes below give estimates, but there is no formula—you need to find a blend that works for you. Don’t be afraid to pour and shake using your eye instead of measuring cup. When it comes to chopping veggies, go with however much of each you want to eat. Feel free to experiment and have fun!
Yum Neauh (new-uh)
My most memorable Yum Neauh experience involved a Hmong wedding in the north of Thailand where almost every last part of an entire cow was transformed into a dizzying array of beefy dishes, my favorite being Yum Neauh. The women sat at long picnic tables, peeling bags of garlic, chopping lemongrass and green onions, and pounding chilies for an hour. The meat was seasoned and laid to rest in a marinade, given a little time on the grill, added to a colorful bed of fresh vegetables, and drizzled with a dressing popping a complex and delicious flavor. Enjoy with Airfield’s robust, but easy-drinking Mustang blend.
INGREDIENTS
Meat:
• About one pound rump or sirloin steak
Marinade:
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 square inch ginger, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro (coriander) roots, washed & chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
Dressing:
• 4 Tbsp fish sauce (like salt in baking, fish sauce doesn’t give a fishy or salty flavor but simply helps to enhance other flavors)
• 4 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chili flakes (more if you like it hot; also consider chopping up 1-2 fresh bird chilies per person)
• 1 Tbsp palm sugar (you can substitute brown sugar)
Salad:
• 1 bag pre-mixed greens
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (use both green & white parts)
• 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 bunch mint leaves
• Optional: 1 bunch cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS
Grill meat to taste using your preferred method. (The meat is typically served quite rare—just charred on the outside, juicy inside.) Once it’s cooked, slice the meat into thin, bite-sized strips. Mix marinade & let the meat rest in it while you prepare the dressing & chop the vegetables. Briefly saute red onions to ease the spice & bring out the sweet notes. Arrange all vegetables in a large bowl or platter, topping with meat. Pour dressing over salad & toss.
Watermelon Soup
This refreshing soup tastes like summer vacation. After all, nothing says summer like cold, pink watermelon, but the Thai flavors add a whole new dimension. Serve with a variety of crunchy garnishes to complement the smooth, cool juice, and the crisp, fruity Rose.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 Tbsp ginger
• About 4 cloves garlic
• 3 stalks of lemongrass (don’t skimp here!)
• 1 shallot
• 1 serrano chile
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 medium watermelon
• 1 cucumber
• Juice of 3 limes
DIRECTIONS
Remove rind and coarsely chop watermelon, reserving a few slices. Puree in food processor, straining puree to get juice. This can be quite messy – be careful not to fill the food processor too full or you’ll end up with juice everywhere. When you’ve obtained all the juice you can, discard solids and grate rind of one lime into the juice. Refrigerate to chill. Dice reserved slices of watermelon and freeze on baking sheet. Mince ginger, garlic, lemongrass, shallot, and serrano chile and saute in oil – preferably Lime Riesling oil from Après Vin, but olive oil will work – until they are soft and golden, roughly five minutes. Add about 2 cups watermelon juice and simmer for five minutes more. Blend this mixture in food processor, then pour into remaining watermelon juice through a strainer, discarding solids. Add lime juice to soup to taste – I prefer about 3 limes. Chill. Serve with diced cucumber and frozen diced watermelon as garnishes. You may want to reserve some of the sauteed red onion made for the Yum Neauh as well. Mint or cilantro sprigs also add a nice touch.
~ For more delicious ideas from Jeannie, visit www.thefauxgourmet.com ~
Tags: Cool, Salad, Soup, Summer, Thai, Wine Pairing
Posted in Airfield Wine Press Articles, Chef's Corner, Mustang, Rosé
August 25th, 2010
As most club members are aware, Airfield produces a number of blends. We entered the business in 2005 with a game plan that would eventually result in our diverse portfolio. Today we offer Bordeaux, Rhone, Italian, and Spanish style blends. Because of this emphasis on regional blends, we thought it would be appropriate to periodically review specific regions. In that spirit, we’ve decided to feature our Rhone varietals in the following articles:
The 5 red varietals we grow on the farm are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise. The white Rhone varietals we produce are Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne. Marcus will be discussing winemaking approaches to these varietals so I will confine my discussion to them from a grower perspective.
Syrah
The first Rhone varietal we planted was Syrah, which we planted in 1996, on our Black Rock site. All of our original Syrah is sourced from the Joseph Phelps clone, the dominate clone in Washington State. In 2008, we planted a Tablas Creek clone, TCVS A. Syrah is a particularly heavily pigmented variety, and this full bodied red has quickly become one of the darlings of the Northwest. Today we are growing 30 acres of Syrah making it by far our largest Rhone planting. Any blend using Syrah will be bolstered by its unique color and dark berry flavors and substantial tannins.
Cinsault
All the other red Rhone varietals were planted in 2006 also on our Black Rock Vineyard site. The Cinsault is planted adjacent to the original Syrah block, and is comprised of two clones 02 and 03. The berry size is somewhat larger than its neighbor, thus giving it a predisposition to over cropping. It tends to produce lighter colored less tannic fruit that usually imparts a spicy element to the blends. I have had a few stand alone Cinsault wines that I considered to be outstanding. Standby, were waiting for the right vintage.
Grenache
Grenache is probably my personal favorite. We planted 3 acres in 2006, making it our second largest planting of a Rhone red variety. The planting consists of two clones, Grenache Noir 03 and a Tablas Creek clone TCVS A. Grenache is a very fruit forward varietal with spicy undertones and lush textures. The variety has rather small clusters consisting of few but rather large berries. The reduced skin to berry ratio, results in lighter pigmented less tannic wines than its big sister Syrah. We have also experienced a challenge establishing this variety in rocky sections of the vineyard.
Mourvedre & Counoise
The 2009 vintage produced two surprises this year. Both the Mourvedre and Counoise were standout wines this past winter. Thus Marcus has earmarked both to be stand alone varietals. Both varieties are very small plantings of just over and under an acre respectively. The Mourvedre consists of a split of a Tablas variety TCVS A and Mourvedre clone 01. The Counoise block is planted in a Tablas TCVS A clone. Both varieties are large clustered making it difficult to avoid over cropping. The smaller canopies that we are currently managing will not support crop loads in excess of 2 tons per acre. Our success in 2009 is due in part to our recognition of that fact.
Viognier
Viognier is the 2nd largest Rhone planting on our farm, and consists of 5 acres. It provides the backbone for our Lightning and Flygirl. It is a highly aromatic variety, delivering strong fruit forward flavors of peach and apricot with over tones of violet. It is a unique grape that has been shown to benefit from blends.
Roussanne & Marsanne
Two of the blending partners for Viognier are Roussanne and Marsanne. We have planted 2 acres of each of these Rhone whites. Roussanne is the most well known of the two, it has moderate acidity with a flavor profile of honey and pear. It has a unique rusty leaf that makes it easily recognized in the vineyard. Marsanne yields flavors honey and spice and offers a linger minerality on the finish. Marsanne always gives the appearance of being in distress when the weather get extremely hot. Don’t trust your eyes with this varietal. Both varieties have tended to be easily over cropped again probably due to smaller canopies.
From my perspective planting these new varieties has been a great learning experience. What I have found is that just tweaking some of our cultural practices can have a drastic effect on fruit quality for specific varieties. I hope this discussion has been of interest to you.
- By Mike Miller, Grape Grower
What wines at Airfield are made from Rhone varietals?
The two stars of our Rhone wine program are the Lightning (Viognier/Roussanne/Marsanne) and the Mustang (Syrah/
Grenache/Mourvedre/Cinsault/Counoise). These wines show the harmony that come from blending Rhone region grape
varieties together. In addition, we have begun doing more single varietal Rhone wines. We have future plans to bottle stand alone Reserve Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise, and Viognier. In my opinion the most versatile of the Rhone red grapes is Syrah. Syrah is used as a blending component in many of our wines and is often my choice for topping barrels in the cellar.
What barrels do you like to use with Rhone wines?
Selecting the right barrels for Rhone wine grapes is definitely an on going quest. With the white varieties I find their greatest strength is the tropical fruit and floral flavors. To enhance this we only use old French oak barrels that do not have much “oak” impact in order to let the natural aromatics of the fruit shine through.
With my red program it is very similar. Syrah can handle new oak but I try to keep it under 20% for most Syrah based wines and it is 40% for my Reserve Syrah program. Syrah works well with American, French, and especially Hungarian Oak.
Do you do anything unique with Rhone grapes during the winemaking process?
The winemaking process for the Rhone’s is very similar to that of our other red wines. However, with the Rhone varieties we are trying to achieve a smooth velvety mouth feel and nice roundness, where as with the Bordeaux varieties we are trying to extract more tannin.
My management of Rhone’s tends to be gentler with the goal of less extraction of tannin. Due to the medium bodied nature of Rhone grapes and less tannin, we typically have these wines in bottle within 12 months. In contrast our Merlot and Cabernet will be bottled after 20-22 months in barrel.
- By Marcus Miller, Winemaker
Covering 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres) almost due south of Burgundy are the vineyards of the Rhône Valley. Historically, this valley was an ideal route of travel between the Mediterranean and northern Europe and the Atlantic. The earliest cultivated vines date back to approximately 600 BC. These vines account for roughly 14% of the French wine production.
With over 400 million bottles produced per year, the AOC Côtes du Rhône (encompassing the entire Rhône Valley) is the second largest single appellation region in the world. AOC is a French certification and stands for ‘Appellation d’origine contrôlée’, which translates as “controlled designation of origin”. Within this parent AOC are smaller specified appellations. This region is composed of two very distinct areas, the North & South, which define their separation at the town of Valence. Heavy on red production, Rhône wines are typically rustic and ripe with higher alcohol content than found in most French wines. Wines from both the North and South are often a delightful compliment to foods such as gamey meats infused with French flavors of rosemary and herbs de Provence.
Northern Rhône sits upon steep, terraced lands with vines holding onto granite hillsides. With a continental climate, the Northern area experiences cold winters and warm summers. It is here that some of the most legendary wines are produced, predominantly big, full-bodied, tannic reds and beautiful dry full-bodied whites. Syrah and Viognier are the two most noted grapes in addition to Marsanne and Roussanne. Syrah is the only red grape permitted to be distinctly classified as an AOC wines from the Northern appellations. Viognier is permitted to be co-fermented with Syrah adding color and heightening aromatics.
Traveling south through the region transcends to a Mediterranean climate with broad flattened valley floors, which experience mild winters and exceptionally hot summers, sometimes prone to drought. An extended amount of varietals are grown in the Southern region, approximately 28, however quality is considered to be subpar to the wines produced from the North. As opposed to reds dominated by Syrah of the North, Grenache and Mourvédre play a more powerful role in the Southern wines amongst many other varietals. White varietals include Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Roussanne, and Marsanne to name a few. These varietals typically produce light to medium bodied fruity wines. The most well known wine from Southern Rhône is the Châteauneuf-du-Papes, which may contain up to 18 varietals in a single bottle.
In order to be classified as a true Rhône, wines must be crafted following a set of established guidelines starting in the vineyard with specifications such as plant spacing, pruning, yield levels, varietals harvest, etc. Several private wineries go outside of the parameters established by the various AOC regulations creating sparkling, fortified wines, altering varietals. Though these wines are not recognized by the AOC, they are often of excellent quality and typically only sold directly from the winery.
With such variance between the North and the South, wines from the Rhône region are an excellent addition to any wine cellar. Southern Rhônes are typically drinkable upon release or within a short period of time, whereas heavier fuller-bodied wines from the north can rest for up to 15 years.
- By Amy Sonnichsen
Tags: Blends, France, grapes, history, Lighting, mustang, Region, Rhone, wine
Posted in Airfield Wine Press Articles, Mustang, Uncategorized
