Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California (8) Iron Horse
Website: https://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/
Joy Sterling is making some of the USA’s best sparkling wines at Iron Horse, a winery founded by her parents. Initially, they wanted to make Pinot Noir, and bought 110 acres of vineyards from Rodney Strong. They’d lived in France, and Joy’s mother had an appreciation of the special microclimate of the vineyard when she tasted a 1974 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir. ‘That was it!,’ says Joy. But there was a change in tack: when friends visited from France and tasted a vin gris, they said that it was just like a base wine for Champagne. The first vintage for sparkling was 1980, and now this is their main focus. They have 164 acres of vines, and 60% of the production is traditional method fizz.
The approach is a detail-focused one. Each year they lay down about 20 different base wines for reserves, and together with playing with dosage, this gives them a lot of options. Joy says that they take the composition of the liqueur used in the dosage very seriously, even to the point of choosing refined sugar or brown sugar. They can use the same base wine for dosage, or an older wine from bottle. ‘We have a perfumer’s store of elements,’ she says.
THE WINES
Iron Horse Joy! 2006 Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
From the coolest part of the Russian River Valley, this is just made in magnum. ‘I love magnums,’ says Joy. ‘Magnums mean sharing, but also on a technical level there is no doubt in my mind that bubbles made in magnums taste better.’ This is an equal parts blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Taut, compact and concentrated with lots of citrus fruit and nice salinity. There are some fine spice, lemons and a touch of pear with delicate toasty notes and lovely precision. Long, fine finish. 94/100
Iron Horse Stargazing Cuvée Brut 2015 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
13.5% alcohol. From magnum. Bright and lively with a lovely citrus drive, a hint of cherry and nice purity. Very refined with a core of ripe citrus fruit and some pear and citrus. Great balance. 93/100
Iron Horse Summer’s Cuvée 2020 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
This is Pinot Noir dominated. Highly aromatic with bright pear, cherry and citrus fruit. Fruit driven and lively with nice focus: there’s a touch of sweetness on the finish. Lovely fruit here. 92/100
Iron Horse Reflection Brut 2020 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
13.5% alcohol. This is predominantly Pinot Noir (65%) from a specific section of the vineyard that reflects in the reservoir. This is also the only cuvée that has malolactic fermentation. Fresh, fruity aromatics with lemons, cherries and a touch of herbiness. Bright, fresh and linear on the palate with pure fruit and a lively, juicy lemon and mandarin finish. 92/100
Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut 2020 Russian River Valley, Sonoma
77% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay. This is bright, fruity and tart with a nice aniseed edge to the bright lemony fruit, as well as some cherry character. Subtle, fine and expressive with pristine fruit. Pure and bright with a nice tart cherry finish. 92/100
EXPLORING THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, SONOMA, CALIFORNIA
