2021 Riesling
Tasting Notes
This 2021 Riesling displays tropical and citrus aromatics with a crisp light body. Aromas of tangerine and fresh peach creates a beautiful bouquet in the glass. The wine enters the palate showcasing its bright acidity with secondary flavors of clementine juice, dragon fruit, with hints of kiwi and candied lemon. The finish is crisp and clean with balanced acidity and natural residual sugar that leaves a vibrant, racy impression on the palate.
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 1-2 weeks earlier than average. Then in late June, we experienced a heat wave for approximately 6 weeks. During this time, we saw over 35 days of 100+ degree temperatures, with some daily highs nearing 118 degrees! 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 sizes for us. Nevertheless, the flavors that these smaller berries produced were phenomenal! We also saw rapid ripening at a pace we have not seen since 2015, and this created a very early start to harvest. 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 off 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 white wines showcase bright fruit aromas with brisk acidity. Our red wines display dark fruit elements with structure and finesse. The wines created from 2021 will be age worthy and enjoyable in their youth and will be wines that will make a lasting impression.
Winemaking Notes
Our 2021 Airfield Riesling is made in the fashion called Kabinett, in this style, the grapes are harvested early in their sugar development when the flavors, ripeness, and brisk acidity are ideal. The goal is to create a wine that is lower in alcohol with brisk acidity and balanced natural residual sugar. Harvested in early September at 20 brix, the grapes were not de-stemmed but sent directly to the press as whole clusters. After gentle pressing, the wine was settled for 72 hours before being racked off its lees to begin fermentation. Inoculated with a special yeast strain isolated from German Riesling grapes that create and maintain the fresh fruit characteristics of the wine. We fermented at a cool temperature of 56 degrees that lasted for nearly 4 weeks before fermentation was seized to maintain the wines natural re- sidual sugar. Fermenting at a cool temperature created tropical and citrus notes and achieved balance in the wine. After Fermentation, the wine’s natural lees were stirred twice a month for two months to help build body and create roundness of the wine. The wine was then settled and stabilized before bottling.
Food Pairing
Seared Scallops with Green Apple Slaw
Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread
Prosciutto, Melon, and Goat Cheese Salad
Shrimp Tempura
Sushi
- Varietal Composition: Riesling
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 726
- Alcohol: 9.3%
- pH: 3.11
- Acidity: 7.4 g/L
- RS: 4.9%
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2035 with optimal maturity in 2030 (enjoy at cool temperatures)