2020 Bombshell
Tasting Notes
Our 2020 Bombshell showcases an abundance of black currant, red cassis, and blueberry jam intertwined with intriguing layers of licorice and bakers’ chocolate. The palate is robust with a silky texture and secondary flavors of plums, figs, bramble berry and a hint soy sauce. The wine finishes with remarkably smooth tannins accentuating the gorgeous berry tones with a touch of spice from the French oak.
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown
Vintage Notes
The 2020 vintage will go down as a very memorable year. The growing season was exceptional with a mild winter, warm spring, and moderate summer. Bud break occurred 2 weeks earlier than normal and veraison was well ahead of schedule too. Just as we were preparing for an early start to harvest, wildfires in the Northwest created a thick cloud of smoke over Washington State. Concerns arose about exposure to smoke. Taking a cautious approach, we delayed harvest until the smoke cleared and conducted trials to determine the effect of smoke on our grapes. Fortunately, results showed no sign of smoke taint. Proximity to the source of smoke plays a big factor, and our vineyard was a long distance away. Overall, we have not seen any impact of smoke on the 2020 vintage. An- other major event of this vintage was an early frost that occurred the second week of October. Our winemaking team worked tirelessly long hours leading up to the frost. By the time our vineyards had been impacted by the cold spell, our winery was stuffed with fermenting grapes and harvest was 95% complete. All remaining grapes were then hand-harvested and sorted with an optical sorter to remove any excessive M.O.G. or bad grapes. After our wines completed alcoholic fermentation, we were very pleased with the results. We at Airfield have another stunning vintage for you to enjoy. The 2020 wines showcase an abundance of ripe fruit aromatics, low tannin profiles, and exceptionally balanced finishes.
Winemaking Notes
The 2020 Bombshell is comprised of 46% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Malbec. All of the varietals for this blend were sourced from our estate vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Our goal when creating this wine was to see a bounty of fruit flavors and aromas, a nice touch of well-integrated oak, and soft tannins to create a well-balanced wine. Harvested towards the end of October at optimal maturity, the grapes were sent to various size fermenters, the grapes were then cold soaked for 48 before being inoculated with several different strains of yeast. Our extraction ap- proach was to be aggressive at the beginning of fermentation, which allowed us to extract the color and flavors we look for in each of these varietals. Once alcohol levels start to increase, we then took a more gentle approach to avoid harsh tannins and achieve our end goal of a soft, lush finish while maintaining balance and structure. After fermentation, each lot was then sent to a variety of new and neutral French oak barrels and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. After malolactic fermentation is completed, each barrel had its lees stirred twice a month for up to four months, this process helps build structure and roundness while enhancing the mouthfeel and acting as a fining agent to naturally soften the wine. The final blend consisted of aging in 100% French oak for 16 months, with 15% being new French oak, 35% 1 to 3 year old French oak, and 50% neutral oak.
Food Pairing
Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Blue Cheese Butter
Spiced Venison with Wild Mushroom and Truffle Sauce
Barbecued Ribs
Gouda or Comte
- Varietal Composition: 46% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 1,943
- Alcohol: 14.2%
- pH: 3.88
- Acidity: 5.7