2021 Tempranillo
Tasting Notes
Our 2021 Tempranillo is a medium-bodied wine boasting aromas of blueberry jam, black cassis, and sweet cedar. The palate is incredibly smooth with silk-like tannins and flavors of blackberry cobbler, sweet plum, toasted oak, a hint of minerality, and savory nuances. Fermented in concrete and perfectly aged for 18 months in French oak, this captivating wine culminates with a lush, lengthy finish.
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown, Yakima Valley AVA, Washington State
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
One of our early ripening red varietals, the Tempranillo grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness in late September, destemmed but not crushed, sent through our optical sorter, and then pumped into a concrete tank for fermentation. Cold-soaked for 72 hours, the grapes were then warmed up and inoculated with a special yeast strain. Fermenting in concrete provided more lifted aromas to the wine, more tension on the palate, and layers of complexity while maintaining perfect fermentation temperatures. Our goal with a limited-production wine of this caliber is to create rich flavors with weight and depth on the palate. The extraction protocols were more aggressive early on with pump-overs. Then, as alcohol levels increased, the length and number of pump-overs decreased. Fermented until dry on the skins, which took approximately 15 days, the wine was then separated from the skins, and the skins were sent to the press to gently extract any remaining juice out of the skins. The press and free run were not combined. The wine was then sent to various French oak barrels and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. Once malolactic fermentation was completed, the wine's lees were stirred twice a month for one month – this process helps create a rounder mouthfeel and finesse on the palate. Aged for approximately 18 months in French oak (67% new, 33% 2-year-old French oak), the wine was then transferred from a barrel to a concrete tank for an additional three weeks of concrete aging before being prepped for bottling.
Food Pairing
Greek-style grilled lamb
Stuffed portobello mushrooms
Spanish-style cured meats and tapas
Carne asada
- Varietal Composition: 100% Tempranillo
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 75
- Alcohol: 14.4%
- pH: 4.03
- Acidity: 5.0 g/L
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2034, with optimal maturity around 2029.