2021 Flygirl White
Tasting Notes
The 2021 Flygirl offers fresh and vibrant aromatics. Notes of peach, lime zest, candied pineapple, and floral blossom fill the glass. Crisp flavors of grapefruit, Asian pear, and honeydew melon envelop the palate finishing with secondary flavors of bright citrus and a hint of banana. The wine’s brisk yet balanced acidity leaves a refreshing finish that creates a long, clean, and crisp mouthfeel.
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. By the third week of October, we did see several freezing events causing our canopies to die. With only a limited amount of fruit remaining, it was easy for us to harvest the last remaining fruit before the end of October. 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
This blend is comprised of 54% Pinot Gris, 26% Viognier, and 20% Chardonnay. Each varietal was harvested at optimal maturity, gently pressed, and fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to maintain freshness and varietal characteristics. The temperatures of fermentation ranged from 60-62 degrees, and the average length of fermentation lasted about 25 days. These cooler ferments helped us achieve beautiful exotic fruit aromas and a clean, crisp finish. After fermentation, each varietal had the wine’s lees stirred back into the wine once every two weeks for up to three months. This process helped naturally soften the wine, enhance the texture, and create a rounder mouthfeel. When creating this 2021 blend, we wanted each varietal to play a special role in this blend to provide complexity and an overall easy drinking wine.
* Produced in a Vegan Manner (No animal byproducts used in production of this wine)
Food Pairing
Creamy Crab Dip With Cream Cheese
Butternut Squash Risotto
Oven Roasted Chicken
Chèvre or Aged Gouda
- Varietal Composition: 54% Pinot Gris, 26% Viognier, 20% Chardonnay
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Aging / Barrel Program: Fermented and aged in stainless steel
- Cases Produced: 815
- Alcohol: 13.2%
- pH: 3.59
- Acidity: 6.2 g/L
- Ageability: Now through 2026