2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
Our 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic full-bodied Cabernet that evokes dark fruit aromas of black cherry, cassis, red currant. The palate shows weight, soft tannins, and balanced acidity with rich, lingering flavors consisting of smoked dates and bramble berry. The finish accentuates the wine’s structure leaving long lasting notes of toasted oak and dark berry tertiary flavors. Enjoy now through 2039 with optimal maturity in 2033.
Awards
92 Points, Paul Gregutt
91 Points, James Suckling
90 Points, Wine Enthusiast
90 Points, Vinous
90 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
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
Our 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon blocks that our Estate Vineyard produces. The Reserve label is truly built starting in the vineyard where we strategically plan from winter all the way through harvest and put in the extra work to make these wines really standout. Our goal is to make sure each plant has an exceedingly small crop load, giving each grape more intensity, flavor, and overall ripeness. Harvested the last week of October by hand, the grapes were then destemmed but not crushed and sorted using our optical sorter before being sent to small fermenters. The grapes were then cold soaked for 48 hours before being inoculated with three different yeast strains. Before alcohol is present, we want to make sure we get 75% of our extraction by having an aggressive approach with aerated pump overs, delestage and incorporating more air to extract from the cap. Once Alcohol levels are 8-9%, we taper off this extraction to a gentler approach with less pump overs. This allows the fermentation to not over extract or create excessive tannins and astringencies. Once alcoholic fermentation was complete, we kept the wine on its skins for an additional 14 days, this process is called extended maceration. While only having a gentle approach during this phase, this process creates more dark fruit flavors, more richness on the palate and a more complex wine overall. Once the extended maceration period was completed, the wine was then drained from the skins and the skins were sent to the press to press out any remaining juice. The free run and press were not combined. The wine was then sent to a variety of exclusive French oak barrels and were inoculated for Malo-lactic fermentation. Once MLF was completed, the wine had its lees stirred for 4 months. Incorporating lees during this time helps naturally soften the wine, building texture creating a rounder mouthfeel. Aged for approximately 22 months in French Oak with 80% New French Oak 20% 1-3yr-old French Oak before being sent to tank and prepped for bottling.
Food Pairing
Rosemary-Pepper Beef Rib Roast with Porcini Jus
Blue Cheese Burgers
Broiled Pork Chops with Sun-Dried Tomato & Chipotle Pesto
Aged Cheddar, Camembert or Roquefort
- Varietal Composition: Cabernet Sauvignon
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Aging / Barrel Program: 22 months in 100% French oak (80% new, 20% 1-3 year)
- Cases Produced: 975
- Alcohol: 14.3%
- pH: 3.71
- Acidity: 6.0 g/L
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2039 with optimal maturity in 2033.