2020 Cabernet Franc
NEW RELEASE! This limited wine is available exclusively to Club Members. Please ensure you are logged into your online account to place an order.
Tasting Notes
Our 2020 Cabernet Franc displays overlapping aromas of black cassis, cherry, pipe tobacco, toasted oak, and spice. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and well-structured with refined tannins and lingering flavors of smoked figs and toasted 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. Another 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 Cabernet Franc was sourced from reserve tier blocks on our estate vineyard. These particular blocks were cropped to smaller yields to obtain more ripeness and concentrated flavors. Harvested towards the end of October at optimal maturity, the grapes were destemmed and sorted using our optical sorter before being sent directly to small fermenters. Cold soaked for 48 hours, the grapes and juice were then inoculating with a specific yeast strain for alcoholic fermentation. Our extraction protocol was balanced between aerated pump-overs and gentle punch downs to extract the complex flavors from our Cabernet Franc while maintaining gentle tannin extraction. Fermented for 14 days, the wine was then drained and the skins sent to the press to gently extract any remaining wine from the grapes. The wine was then sent to exclusive French oak barrels for aging and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. During the first two month of aging, the lees were stirred twice a month, this process helps achieve roundness, structure, and finesse for the wine. Overall the wine was aged for 22 months in 100% French oak (70% new barrels, 25% 2 to 3 year old barrels, and 5% neutral barrels).
* This wine is considered Vegan made, meaning no animal byproducts were used in the production of this wine.
Food Pairing
Flat Iron Steak with Sauce Choron
Greek Lamb Meatballs Stuffed with Feta and Kalamata Olives
Peppercorn-Crusted Salmon
Brie or Swiss
- Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Franc
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 225 cases
- Alcohol: 14.3%
- pH: 3.77
- Acidity: 5.9g/L
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2034 with optimal maturity in 2028