2021 Mustang
Tasting Notes
Comprised of 52% Syrah, 38% Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2021 Mustang is our expression of the classic Rhone blend, capturing the essence of the three varietals. This wine offers dark aromatics of black cassis and smoked fig, complemented by hints of orange oil, barbecued meats, and wet stone. Complex and intriguing, the palate unfolds flavors of blackberry and plum, seamlessly layered with exotic notes of black olive tapenade, soy sauce, coriander, and a touch of white pepper. This medium-bodied wine is smooth and exceptionally balanced, exiting the palate with velvet-like tannins and a long, elegant finish that emphasizes the lush, toasted French oak.
Awards
90 pts. Decanter
89 Points, Vinous
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown
Vintage Notes
The 2021 vintage will be recorded as one the warmest in Washington State history. With a mild winter and a warm spring, we saw bud break during the second week of April, about 1 to 2 weeks earlier than average. Then we experienced a heat wave in late June that lasted roughly six weeks with over 35 days of 100°+ temperatures and some daily highs nearing 118° Fahrenheit. This period of extreme heat began when the grapes were in a cluster and berry size development stage, causing grapes to stress out weeks before we vintners would prefer. Smaller berry size led to an overall 30% reduction in crop size for us. On the bright side, these smaller berries produced phenomenal flavors. We also saw rapid ripening at a pace last seen in 2015, creating a very early harvest start. By the end of August, we had brought in nearly 150 tons of sparkling wine grapes and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, hands down an August record for us at Airfield. By the end of September, we had crushed every white varietal, which was beneficial for us in winemaking as we could then give 100% of our attention to red varietals. October started with nice warm temperatures, and the pace of grape harvesting was going very well, with ideal ripeness and exceptional quality. By the third week of October, we did see several freezing events causing our canopies to die. With only a limited amount of fruit remaining, it was easy for us to harvest the last remaining fruit before the end of October. In the end, the 2021 vintage made outstanding wine. Our red wines display dark fruit elements with structure and finesse. The wines created in 2021 will be enjoyable in their youth but also age-worthy, making a lasting impression.
Winemaking Notes
All of the varietals for this blend were sourced from reserve tier blocks on our estate vineyard, harvested at optimal maturity, destemmed but not crushed, sorted using our optical sorter, and then sent to small-batch stainless steel bins or concrete tanks for fermentation. Fermenting in concrete helps create complexity and intriguing layers of minerality in the wines while accentuating fruit aromas. Treating each varietal with delicacy is critical in our program for this wine to ensure we have expressive varietal aromatics while simultaneously being gentle on the palate. Doing so requires the utmost attention to detail for each lot. We try to get as much extraction as possible early in the fermentation stages before the presence of alcohol is a factor. This gives us ample color and vivid aromatics, and then we taper off the extraction to a gentler extraction method to ensure a lush and velvet-like texture on the wine. Once each lot was dry on the skins, we free-run the wine from the skins and sent the skins to the press for gentle pressing to extract the remaining juice. For aging, we chose large format (500L) French oak barrels with 75% new, 20% 2-year-old, and 5% neutral French oak. Large French oak barrels allow the complex fruit notes in the wine to be the star while creating a nice touch of oak that is balanced in the wine. During the first three months of aging, the lees were stirred twice a month to naturally soften the wine and to create more roundness on the palate. Overall, the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak and then returned to a concrete tank for one month of additional concrete aging before being prepared for bottling. Sending the wine back to concrete tanks helps lift the aromas and enhance the mouthfeel.
* Produced in a Vegan Manner (No animal byproducts used in the production of this wine)
Food Pairing
Braised Short Ribs
Venison
Beef Stew
Bleu Cheese
Grilled Mushrooms or Eggplant
- Varietal Composition: 52% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 536
- Alcohol: 14.4%
- pH: 3.84
- Acidity: 5.9 g/L
- Ageability: Now through 2037 (optimal maturity in 2031)