This is Iron Horseās signature Pinot Noir, named for our highly prized soil type - a rare, fine-grained sandy loam, known for its excellent drainage. This bottling is a blend from four blocks on the estate. Thereās fruit without sweetness, acid without drying tannin, and a silky-smooth texture.
Clone 828 brings hearty ripeness. Pommard 5 layers in silky texture and roundness. By nose, this wine shows toasted oak, plum compote, and cardamom. By mouth, blackberry, plum, with soft, but supportive tannins.
Winemaking
Hand-picked from four blocks on the estate, the grapes are de-stemmed into small open-top half-ton macro bin fermenters or into stainless steel tanks (depending on the size of that dayās harvest), then cold-soaked (using dry ice) for four to seven days. Before fermentation is complete, the new wine is gently pressed from the skins and transferred to French oak barrels. Fermentation then goes to completion in the barrels, allowing us to stir the lees as the wine goes through malolactic fermentation.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Blend: Clone 828, Calera, and Pommard 5
Malolactic Fermentation: 100%
Barrels: Average age of barrels 4.5 years, 100% French oak from the center of France, fire-bent, medium + toast and toasted heads.
Barrel Aged: 9 Months
Harvest Dates: September 9 - 21, 2019
Date Bottled: November 11, 2020
Release Date: October 2022
Alcohol: 14.0%
pH: 3.61
Acidity: 5.8 g/L
Residual Sugar: < 2 g/L
pH: 3.61
Total Production: 2,825 Cases
2021 Iron Horse Audrey Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
This Chardonnay opens with captivating aromas of floral blossoms and tart green apple, followed by notes of juicy stone fruit and a whisper of Madagascar vanilla bean. On the front palate, crisp green apple shines, seamlessly integrating with the oak to create a balanced, mouth-filling experience. The mid-palate offers delightful hints of ripe peach and fragrant floral notes, with a creamy texture that carries through to the smooth finish.
Winemaking
Only as the grapes arrive at the winery do we decide how to treat them. This hand-harvested Chardonnay was handled in small 10-ton lots (one press load) at a time. 100% of the Chardonnay grapes were pressed as whole clusters, just as we do with sparkling wine. Frequent lees stirring or ābatonnageā, at least three times a week for at least seven months, contributes to the complex flavors.
Specs
Vintage: 2021
Varietal: Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County Blend: 100% Hyde Old Wente
Malolactic Fermentation: 0%
Barrels: 100% Water-bent French oak, 3.5 years old
Iron Horse is one of Sonoma Countyās most prestigious, small, independent, estate, family-owned wineries located in cool, foggy Green Valley. Iron Horse Sparkling Wines have been served at the White House for five consecutive presidential administrations, beginning with the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meeting in Geneva on November 20, 1985, which led to the end of the Cold War. Wine & Spirits Magazine has named Iron Horse Sparkling Winery of the Year nine times.
Iron Horse Chardonnay is signature Green Valley ā bright, crisp, clean, cool-climate perfection. Pinot Noir is the wineryās rising star. Current releases include eight single-vineyard Pinots, each representing a specific vineyard block on the estate.
Iron Horse has been named an American icon in āIcons of the American Market Placeā published by Random House. The estate was named after a railroad stop which crossed the property in the 1890s. Winemaker Rodney Strong rediscovered it as a vineyard site in 1970, planting the original 55 acres of Chardonnay
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
WOW, Alice, thank you for the bottle of the 2019 Iron Horse Vineyards Gold Ridge Pinot Noir! This beauty arrived a few days ago and popped it straight into the wine fridge to rest and chill. Itās time and we are taking her to the pool! Yes a itās date night with the hubby and we are picnicking by the pool - fried chicken, tortellini & risotto salad and the pinot noir. Beautiful garnet in color and the nose greeted us with blackberry, cherry, plum and a bit of toasted oak.
What a delight, smooth to the palate and medium in tannins. Tasting the blackberries and raspberries with that bit of vanilla. Finished off the evening at home with another glass paired with a blood orange olive oil cake w/ crĆØme fraĆ®che. Sooooo good! Saved the rest of the bottle for tomorrowās date night. Salmonā¦ maybe?
The Iron Horse Gold Ridge Pinot Noir is a delight, perfect for the Summertime dinners - salmon, chicken or pork on the grill. Just placed my order!!! Donāt let this slide by! Grab a few bottles and share with friends grilling on those warm Summer nights!
Happy Friday and welcome to this labrat review of the
Iron Horse 2021 Audrey Chardonnay
This is typically where I preamble that I and my partner are not white consumers by most means, but Iām starting to believe that Casemates is grooming me to broadened horizons as this may be the fifth or sixth white sampling Iāve been assigned to rat (certainly not the first chardonnay). Salt grains aside, Iām always happy for the opportunity to try something I normally wouldnāt opt for, and the periodic unexpected signature-required arrival from Alice via UPS is always a welcomed surprise.
Sidenote: Iām excited to try the new summer hold option because for some reason I am consistently at the end of the dayās delivery route, so on warmer days (as they are growing here of late) even with the snuggliest of styrofoam-hugged packaging, bottles can come out clocking in at 85Ā° or more to the touch, like it did this week with the Iron Horse. This bottle was too bulbous to fit in my wine chiller so I hid it in the second coolest spot in the house besides the fridge to slowly return it to a respectable temperature. Today I gave it a brief chill in the fridge door to lower slightly below room temp.
The cork pulled out with a satisfying pop and smelled like pear, and looked like it had a hint of staining on it. Out of the bottle and in the glass I got a scent of cotton candy and mineral. Thereās a very light body and faint yellow color to it, which I hope can be made out from the pic (luckily got some late day sunlight for lighting).
First few sips gave me some soft lemon, and a touch of oak or butter, and lychee. There was a bit of nice lingering finish as well. Some slight acidity but no sweetness to speak of, which I like. After pouring a bit more, it opened up a bit and started showing legs in the glass. Tried a few snacks with itāĀ the subtle flavors didnāt interfere with mild cheeses, nuts, and veggies. I donāt see it standing up to bolder flavors, but honestly this drinks fine on its own. We had some sushi a bit later and this would have accompanied quite nicely had I still had any in the glass left by the time I started eating.
For the TL;DR for a non-white typical drinker the Iron Horse stands out nicely as an elegant, dry, clean, smoothly buttery chardonnay that makes me appreciate even more what Iād typically pass on. But for those that prefer whites over red Iād wager youāre already familiar with Iron Horse and their quality, so from my end Iād say that reputation has held up because honestly I canāt say Iāve had, or what Iād expect to be better in this department. Solid recommend. Thanks Alice, David and WCC for the opportunity! Cheers!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Iron Horse Pinot Noir & Chardonnay Mix - $60 = 16.66%
Apologies for no pics, mobile chrome is being stupid, Iāll pop then on when I get to a computer.
Happy email on a busy week. Luckily I have a front desk that accepts my packages. Thanks WineDavid and Alice for the ratting, as always!
Iron Horse Chardonnay, 2021. Iām always a little hesitant on Chardonnay, so much if it has that kinda fake buttery chemical taste to me, or is so oaky that I feel like I ought to take a shot of mezcal to go with it.
But for once, neither of those are an issue! Thankfully. This tastes like a chardonnay ought to, just lightly acidic and smooth, very slightly rounded. No appreciable sweetness. no lingering tastes after, even as it warmed up over the hour or so spent drinking it. No real legs. Kinda my idea of a perfect chard.
More like this might actually get me back to drinking wine more often than I currently do. Worth the price point, but probably only in for a six (4?) pack at this price point.
Also yes, meant 4 (Iād assumed without checking the actual listing, ooops. Attention to detail before caffiene? Nope!)
Iād say still worth it, itās THAT good. A bit on the pricey end for my current wallet though. Debating getting it and stealthily putting it aside from Roommateās birthday.
What a great week, all day yesterday I was convinced it was Friday and now thanks to Casemates I find out today is Fridayā¦so I get two Fridays this weekā¦yay!
Anywaysā¦so any soothsayers out there on the infobahn?
Well, Wine Enthusiast had this to sooth about the pinot:
91 points. Thick and concentrated in cranberry, strawberry and cedar, this wine offers strong tannin presence and structure amidst a grittiness of crushed rock. The finish delivers plenty of forest-floor intensity. Virginie Boone 11/1/22
Spectator, the pinot:
91 points. Juicy and forward in feel here, with friendly cherry and raspberry coulis notes laced with hints of light red licorice and vanilla the finish. A latent juiciness adds length. Crowd pleaser. Drink now through 2026. 1,907 cases made. James Molesworth 5/31/22
And thatās about itā¦back to my extended weekend
Ahh! so sorry for the delay. Had a work emergency this morning and lost track of time! Well, here goes:
I was super excited to receive the Iron Horse Pinot Noir. I am a big fan of Iron Horse wines and bubbles, so it was a real treat to get to labrat this.
On the pour, the wine is light purple in color, looks like a medium-light bodied PN.
Open for an hour on counterā¦
On the nose, I get black fruits and black cherry and hint of raspberry. Also a hint of baking spices and cedar/wood notes are coming through. I am not getting what I usually think of with RRV PN, the cherry cola aroma. After a couple hours of sipping and some deep sniffing, I can find it very mildly, but I was trying hard to find it.
Continuing with aroma, over time I start to get some cloves and something herbal and savory. Quite a wonderful nose on this wine. Exquisite!
Tasting the wine, I get the black and red fruits mentioned above. The acid is medium + and the tannins are mild but present. This would go well with food. The wine is light-medium bodied, not at all a big bold PN, very delicate and delicious. As I continue enjoying the wine, more the savory elements are emerging, now getting some white pepper as well.
Overall and wonderful experience. I would recommend holding these for a couple of years if possible or a 2 hour decant prior to enjoying, it really opened up over the evening.
2019 Iron Horse Gold Ridge Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
2021 Iron Horse Audrey Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$864.00/Case for 6x 2019 Iron Horse Gold Ridge Pinot Noir + 6x 2021 Iron Horse Audrey Chardonnay at Iron Horse
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 14 - Tuesday, Jul 15
Iron Horse Pinot Noir & Chardonnay Mix
4 bottles for $119.99 $30/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $299.99 $25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Iron Horse Gold Ridge Pinot Noir
2021 Iron Horse Audrey Chardonnay
Oooooohh that CT note made me pause quick
Rats please
@losthighwayz
Same guy loved it 10 months earlier.
@losthighwayz When āBlack Sheepā repeatedly posts 90 pts for five of the seven reviews, it tends to invalidate the total score.
@msten itās the fading fruit comment that makes me pause though I know itās only one personās opinion
@DanOR donāt see Black Sheep but I also donāt have the Pro version
@DanOR @losthighwayz I suppress āreviewsā that only have points because I find them useless. So I only see the two reviews by the same guy also.
WOW, Alice, thank you for the bottle of the 2019 Iron Horse Vineyards Gold Ridge Pinot Noir! This beauty arrived a few days ago and popped it straight into the wine fridge to rest and chill. Itās time and we are taking her to the pool! Yes a itās date night with the hubby and we are picnicking by the pool - fried chicken, tortellini & risotto salad and the pinot noir. Beautiful garnet in color and the nose greeted us with blackberry, cherry, plum and a bit of toasted oak.
What a delight, smooth to the palate and medium in tannins. Tasting the blackberries and raspberries with that bit of vanilla. Finished off the evening at home with another glass paired with a blood orange olive oil cake w/ crĆØme fraĆ®che. Sooooo good! Saved the rest of the bottle for tomorrowās date night. Salmonā¦ maybe?
The Iron Horse Gold Ridge Pinot Noir is a delight, perfect for the Summertime dinners - salmon, chicken or pork on the grill. Just placed my order!!! Donāt let this slide by! Grab a few bottles and share with friends grilling on those warm Summer nights!
@fox_y_vino you sound too happy not sure if I am
sold. Sounds like a commercial
@losthighwayz lol maybe I missed my calling. Thanks for the compliment.
/giphy egregious-humble-point
/giphy Autobuy-Iron-Horse
Happy Friday and welcome to this labrat review of the
Iron Horse 2021 Audrey Chardonnay
This is typically where I preamble that I and my partner are not white consumers by most means, but Iām starting to believe that Casemates is grooming me to broadened horizons as this may be the fifth or sixth white sampling Iāve been assigned to rat (certainly not the first chardonnay). Salt grains aside, Iām always happy for the opportunity to try something I normally wouldnāt opt for, and the periodic unexpected signature-required arrival from Alice via UPS is always a welcomed surprise.
Sidenote: Iām excited to try the new summer hold option because for some reason I am consistently at the end of the dayās delivery route, so on warmer days (as they are growing here of late) even with the snuggliest of styrofoam-hugged packaging, bottles can come out clocking in at 85Ā° or more to the touch, like it did this week with the Iron Horse. This bottle was too bulbous to fit in my wine chiller so I hid it in the second coolest spot in the house besides the fridge to slowly return it to a respectable temperature. Today I gave it a brief chill in the fridge door to lower slightly below room temp.
The cork pulled out with a satisfying pop and smelled like pear, and looked like it had a hint of staining on it. Out of the bottle and in the glass I got a scent of cotton candy and mineral. Thereās a very light body and faint yellow color to it, which I hope can be made out from the pic (luckily got some late day sunlight for lighting).
First few sips gave me some soft lemon, and a touch of oak or butter, and lychee. There was a bit of nice lingering finish as well. Some slight acidity but no sweetness to speak of, which I like. After pouring a bit more, it opened up a bit and started showing legs in the glass. Tried a few snacks with itāĀ the subtle flavors didnāt interfere with mild cheeses, nuts, and veggies. I donāt see it standing up to bolder flavors, but honestly this drinks fine on its own. We had some sushi a bit later and this would have accompanied quite nicely had I still had any in the glass left by the time I started eating.
For the TL;DR for a non-white typical drinker the Iron Horse stands out nicely as an elegant, dry, clean, smoothly buttery chardonnay that makes me appreciate even more what Iād typically pass on. But for those that prefer whites over red Iād wager youāre already familiar with Iron Horse and their quality, so from my end Iād say that reputation has held up because honestly I canāt say Iāve had, or what Iād expect to be better in this department. Solid recommend. Thanks Alice, David and WCC for the opportunity! Cheers!
@james You might also want to thank Joy and her people for producing this thing of great beauty.
@ddeuddeg
Good call!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Iron Horse Pinot Noir & Chardonnay Mix - $60 = 16.66%
Apologies for no pics, mobile chrome is being stupid, Iāll pop then on when I get to a computer.
Happy email on a busy week. Luckily I have a front desk that accepts my packages. Thanks WineDavid and Alice for the ratting, as always!
Iron Horse Chardonnay, 2021. Iām always a little hesitant on Chardonnay, so much if it has that kinda fake buttery chemical taste to me, or is so oaky that I feel like I ought to take a shot of mezcal to go with it.
But for once, neither of those are an issue! Thankfully. This tastes like a chardonnay ought to, just lightly acidic and smooth, very slightly rounded. No appreciable sweetness. no lingering tastes after, even as it warmed up over the hour or so spent drinking it. No real legs. Kinda my idea of a perfect chard.
More like this might actually get me back to drinking wine more often than I currently do. Worth the price point, but probably only in for a six (4?) pack at this price point.
@Jamileigh17 enter image description here
Also yes, meant 4 (Iād assumed without checking the actual listing, ooops. Attention to detail before caffiene? Nope!)
Iād say still worth it, itās THAT good. A bit on the pricey end for my current wallet though. Debating getting it and stealthily putting it aside from Roommateās birthday.
/giphy unadorned-circular-biscuit
What a great week, all day yesterday I was convinced it was Friday and now thanks to Casemates I find out today is Fridayā¦so I get two Fridays this weekā¦yay!
Anywaysā¦so any soothsayers out there on the infobahn?
Well, Wine Enthusiast had this to sooth about the pinot:
91 points. Thick and concentrated in cranberry, strawberry and cedar, this wine offers strong tannin presence and structure amidst a grittiness of crushed rock. The finish delivers plenty of forest-floor intensity. Virginie Boone 11/1/22
Spectator, the pinot:
91 points. Juicy and forward in feel here, with friendly cherry and raspberry coulis notes laced with hints of light red licorice and vanilla the finish. A latent juiciness adds length. Crowd pleaser. Drink now through 2026. 1,907 cases made. James Molesworth 5/31/22
And thatās about itā¦back to my extended weekend
fwiw
Anyone want to share a case? SoNH/Boston area.
Excited to try Iron Horseās chardonnay as well. The perfect pair for the Sunmer
Ahh! so sorry for the delay. Had a work emergency this morning and lost track of time! Well, here goes:
I was super excited to receive the Iron Horse Pinot Noir. I am a big fan of Iron Horse wines and bubbles, so it was a real treat to get to labrat this.
On the pour, the wine is light purple in color, looks like a medium-light bodied PN.
Open for an hour on counterā¦
On the nose, I get black fruits and black cherry and hint of raspberry. Also a hint of baking spices and cedar/wood notes are coming through. I am not getting what I usually think of with RRV PN, the cherry cola aroma. After a couple hours of sipping and some deep sniffing, I can find it very mildly, but I was trying hard to find it.
Continuing with aroma, over time I start to get some cloves and something herbal and savory. Quite a wonderful nose on this wine. Exquisite!
Tasting the wine, I get the black and red fruits mentioned above. The acid is medium + and the tannins are mild but present. This would go well with food. The wine is light-medium bodied, not at all a big bold PN, very delicate and delicious. As I continue enjoying the wine, more the savory elements are emerging, now getting some white pepper as well.
Overall and wonderful experience. I would recommend holding these for a couple of years if possible or a 2 hour decant prior to enjoying, it really opened up over the evening.
In for a case.
Wow - a lot of typos in that! Oof! Too late to edit now.