The Californian winery "Iron Horse Vineyards" is located in Sebastopol in the west of the AVA area
Russian River Valley in
Sonoma County (North-Coast region) near the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1976 by Audrey and Barry Sterling. The name (Iron Horse) is derived from the former only railway station in this area. While excavating the ground for the winery, a weather vane was found, which (instead of the usual rooster) is decorated with a horse. This is the origin of the logo shown on the label. In 1978, Forrest Tancer joined as a partner (then retired in 2005). At that time the vineyards covered 44 hectares. The first Chardonnay was produced in 1978 and the first Pinot Noir in 1979. From 1980 onwards, the company also began to produce sparkling wines. Today the company is managed by the children of the retired founding couple. Daughter Joy Sterling is responsible for sales, marketing and public relations, son Laurence G. Sterling is Director of Operations.
Today, the vineyards cover 68 hectares of vineyards in the Russian River Valley sub-area Green Valley on mostly sandy loam soil. They are only 13 miles away from the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies and are planted exclusively with two varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There are also vineyards in the
Alexander Valley, where the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are cultivated. These wines are marketed under the label "T-bar-T Iron Horse". Still wines and sparkling wines are produced in equal parts. The sparkling wines have been served at the White House in Washington in the last four US administrations on various official occasions. At the legendary summit meeting of the two state presidents Mikhail
Gorbachev (*1931) and Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) in Geneva on 20 November 1985, which led to the end of the Cold War, sparkling wine was also served from the house. Robert
Parker classifies it as the best in California. They are all vintage products with long yeast ageing. The "Wedding Cuvée" matures on average three, the classic "Vintage Brut" matures four to five years and the "Blanc de Blancs LD" (Late Disgorged) seven to eight years. With the still wines, special care is taken to emphasize the terroir. Among other things, various varietals, a "Rosato di Sangiovese" and the cuvées "Benchmark" and "Cuvée R" are produced.
