2021 Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Our 2021 Airfield Chardonnay evokes intriguing aromas of fresh pear, honeydew melon, butterscotch, and smoked pecans. The wine enters the palate with a slightly creamy mouthfeel; secondary flavors of spiced apples, toasted marshmallow, marzipan and hints of minerality. The finish is smooth, providing well-balanced structure that showcases the perfect harmony of acidity, fruit and oak.
Awards
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown
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 1-2 weeks earlier than average. Then in late June, we experienced a heat wave for approximately 6 weeks. During this time, we saw over 35 days of 100+ degree temperatures, with some daily highs nearing 118 degrees! 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 sizes for us. Nevertheless, the flavors that these smaller berries produced were phenomenal! We also saw rapid ripening at a pace we have not seen since 2015, and this created a very early start to harvest. 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 off with nice warm temperatures and the pace of grape harvesting was going very well with ideal ripeness and exceptional quality. In the end, the 2021 vintage made outstanding wine. Our white wines showcase bright fruit aromas with brisk acidity. Our red wines display dark fruit elements with structure and finesse. The wines created from 2021 will be age worthy and enjoyable in their youth and will be wines that will make a lasting impression.
Winemaking Notes
Our 2021 Airfield Chardonnay displays the best of both worlds that Chardonnay’s from the State of Washington has to offer. 55% of our Chardonnay was fermented and aged in stainless steel and 45% in exclusive French oak with 40% of the oak being new French Oak and the remaining 60% 2-6yr old French Oak. Harvested in early October at optimal ripeness, the grapes were hand picked and sorted at the crush pad. The grapes were then sent directly to the press as whole clusters and pressed gently to maintain the fresh fruit and varietal characteristics. After settling out for 72 hours, 52% of the juice was sent to stainless steel tanks and 45% to exclusive French Oak Barrels for fermentation. The stainless portion was fermented cool with temperatures maxing out at 60 degrees, the barrels were fermented around 60-65 degrees until dry. After fermentation the barrels were inoculated for malolactic fermentation and closely monitored to ensure completion. Our main goal with Malo-lactic fermentation was to complete the secondary fermentation but allow the wines to maintain its amazing fruit quality without abstracting it from more “buttery tones”, the stainless portion did not undergo any malolactic fermentation. The wines then had their lees stirred in barrels and in tank twice a month for three months to help with the mouthfeel and to make the wines more round and balanced. Aged for 10 months in tank and barrels then blended with the oak and stainless and then an additional one month of concrete tank aging before bottling.
Food Pairing
Roast Lobster with Tarragon-Lemon Butter
Braised Pork with Pearl Onions and Grapes
Fresh Corn Soufflé with Bacon and Comté
Brie or Camembert
- Varietal Composition: Chardonnay
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Aging / Barrel Program: 8 months in 58% stainless steel & 42% French oak followed by 1 month in concrete
- Cases Produced: 2,392
- Alcohol: 13.4%
- pH: 3.57
- Acidity: 5.8 g/L
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2028