2020 Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes
Vibrant and refreshing, this Sauvignon Blanc displays flavors of zesty lime and passion fruit with a hint of granny smith apple and lemongrass. The palate is balanced with bright acidity and ends with a clean, crisp finish.
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown. Creating world-class Sauvignon Blanc starts in the vineyard. We’ve been growing Sauvignon Blanc on our estate vineyard in the Yakima Valley for over 40 years. The sites where we grow Sauvignon Blanc are perfectly suited for this grape varietal. Managing our canopies and exposing the grapes at just the right time in the growing season are also critical elements in creating this wine.
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 grapes were harvested in early September at optimal ripeness in the cool morning hours to help preserve the amazing fruit flavors and aromas. Next, the grapes were hand-sorted and gently pressed. After settling out solids for about 6 days, the juice was racked and inoculated with a very special yeast strain isolated from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc grapes that helps maintain the fresh fruit characteristics of the wine. We fermented in stainless steel tanks at cooler temperatures of 60-62 degrees to retain lifted aromatics while avoiding astringencies. Fermentation lasted for nearly 4 weeks. After fermentation, the wine’s natural lees were stirred twice a month for two months to help build body and create roundness. The wine was then settled, stabilized, filtered, and bottled.
* Produced in a Vegan Manner (No animal biproducts used in production of this wine)
Food Pairing
Summer Salads
Gazpacho
Calamari with Garlic and Peas
Grilled-Vegetable Pasta with Cumin
Bucheron or Cheddar (sharp)
- Varietal Composition: Sauvignon Blanc
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 4349
- Alcohol: 12.9%
- pH: 3.46
- Acidity: 6.5 g/L
- Ageability: Now through 2024