2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Tasting Notes
This gorgeous Chardonnay spotlights the Hyde-Old Wente Clone, which we call a heritage clone because its parentage can be traced back to the 1930s in California. It is a stand out on our site, producing a creamy, lush Chardonnay with vibrant citrus-melon notes.
We find green apple, apricot, vanilla, and a hint of oak in this vintage of Heritage Chardonnay. Well balanced, lemon on front palate, green apple, and bright acidity mid to back palate, with vanilla and a final crisp finish. Pairs beautifully with crab cakes, salmon tartar, bacon-wrapped scallops, prosciutto, whole wheat pasta, and caper pesto. This is a great vegetable wine…especially for heirloom tomatoes.
Winemaking
All of our Chardonnay is handled one lot at a time. While harvesting in the morning, we evaluate the flavor and texture of the grapes to determine winemaking methods. Sometimes it is straight to the press as whole clusters, while other times a cold soak might be necessary. The Hyde Old Wente grapes had at least an hour of skin contact in the press, mainly for flavor extraction. Fermentation occurs in water-bent French oak barrels, which we favor for their subtle oak impact. Frequent lees stirring, or ‘batonnage’ at least three times a week for over seven months, contributes to the long finish and unique mouthfeel.
Specs
Blend: 100% Hyde Old Wente Clone Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Malolactic Fermentation: 100%
Barrels: Water-bent French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14.1%
Acidity: 5.8 g/L
Residual Sugar: <2 g/L
pH: 3.41
Harvest Dates: September 17, 2018
Date Bottled: August 19, 2019
Total Production: 213 Cases
2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Tasting Notes
Freshly cut, juicy apples shine brightly in this delicious wine. which manages to be both crisp and creamy, bright with acidity, and rich in texture. The 2019 vintage is balanced and lengthy. A beautiful expression of the Iron Horse estate in cool, foggy Green Valley.
The nose on this vintage has juicy red apple, lychee fruit, dried stone fruit, and hints of tropical fruit. Citrus notes on the front palate, with juicy apple following amazing acidity throughout the mouth and a touch of pear on the end with a sophisticated finish.
Winemaking
All of our Chardonnay is handled one lot at a time. Only as the grapes arrive at the winery do we decide how to treat them. Sometimes it is straight to the press as whole clusters, while other times a cold soak might be necessary. All of the UnOaked Chardonnay had an overnight skin contact soaking before pressing to control acidity with a cold stainless steel fermentation (between 60f and 63f) to retain esters, i.e., brightness, minerality, and exotic fruit elements.
Specs
Blend: 78% Hyde Old Wente Clone, 22% Rued Clone Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Malolactic Fermentation: None
Barrels: None
Alcohol: 14%
Acidity: 5.7 g/L
Residual Sugar: <.2 g/L
pH: 3.31
Harvest Dates: September 11 –26, 2019
Date Bottled: November 4, 2020
Total Production: 2280 Cases
What’s Included
4-bottles:
2x 2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
2x 2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Case-bottles:*
6x 2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
6x 2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
At Iron Horse “Estate Bottled” means that the winemaking begins in the vineyard. Our location in Green Valley represents the very best soil, climate, and aspects for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Our goal is to grow the best wine grapes which we call “precision farming.” All pruning, canopy management, irrigation, and cover crop decisions are determined on a block-by-block (and sometimes even vine-by-vine) basis, considering both the vintage at hand and the long-term needs of the land.
Iron Horse is one of Sonoma County’s 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. From the beginning, Robert Parker has said, “These impressive Sparkling Wines…possess more texture and flavor than just about any sparkler I have tasted from California.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Iron Horse Chardonnays - $70 = 25.92%
Lo and behold, a flying monkey dropped off not one, but two Unicorns in a Golden Ticket! (You might see him, he didn’t want to let go!) Being Iron Horse Chardonnays, hard to share with my usual suspects (@TimothyB and @JavaDrinker)! May see if either want to try Day 2.
Being Iron Horse Chardonnays, I tasted them without food, Day 2 report will include food.
Both are sublime! Both are good for those NOT needing furniture chewing Oak taste!
Rated 97 for UnOaked
Rated 95 for Heritage
Full disclosure, not in their Wine Club, but I buy as much as possibIe when it shows up here!
I did splurge last year for 2 cases of the 2018 UnOaked!
2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay
Rating: 95
Got the green apple, vanilla, with the hint of oak, but not the apricot,. As always, well balanced, lemon on front palate, green apple, and smooth crisp finish.
Not the furniture chewing Oak that some like (well, I haven’t met a Chardonnay I haven’t liked!), but there is a bit of buttery taste.
2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay
Rated: 97
Nom, nom, nom!
Not a Chardonnay for you furniture chewing Oak fanatics. Bright, crisp, and clean,
As promised in the writeup, freshly cut, juicy apples shine brightly and it is crisp and creamy.
Nose: As in writeup - juicy red apple, lychee fruit, dried stone fruit, and hints of tropical fruit.
How long will these cellar for? Normally Iron Horse is an auto buy for me, but I have a backlog i’m working through, and likely won’t get to these for at least at two to three years.
Not the usual food pairing for the (admittedly 2018} UnOaked Chardonnay… ANZAC Biscuits.
I know you are probably thinking I’ve gone around the bend. Hang with me. The Chardonnay has gorgeous citrus notes as well as acidic bite that pair amazing well with the cookies.
See @MarkdaSpark tasting notes above. Completely coincidentally, I have a bottle of the 2018 UnOaked in my fridge, purchased on last year’s offering.
The ANZAC biscuits (the kind that are oats, coconut, honey, and slightly-cinnamon flavored) are not too sweet. The oats and honey play amazingly well with the lemony notes of the chardonnay. The coconut and coconut oil are cut by the acidity of the wine.
TBH, it’s a freaking amazing pairing that I would gladly serve as the after-after-after Thanksgiving Dinner course. When you are watching College Football or movies with the family.
@cjsiege Thanks, that is useful, also because I had to look up what an ANZAC biscuit is. Did you learn about those while serving in the Australian or New Zealand Army Corps in World War 1?
It sounds like a nice healthy food bar/biscuit you can make yourself. is that how you do them, or are you able to buy them? The recipe info I found stressed the sweet component, but sounds like the sweetness is toned-down in the version you have, which is the way I would want it too.
Glad I learned something new and unexpected!
And yes, I have a few bottles of Chard left from the previous offering, and might need more with this being a nice mix of two styles.
@pmarin – ha! No first hand, front lines experience with them. I learned about them while visiting Australia and New Zealand a few years ago. There are so many stories about the biscuits in their food culture.
I have not made them myself, so far. I found some on sale at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago.
There are a lot (!!!) of recipes out there. I have seen some that look sickly sweet and some that look like a savory cracker. These were “Graham cracker” level of sweet. Sorta middling.
2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case-bottles:*
Price Comparison
$534.00/Case for 6x 2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma + 6x 2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma at Iron Horse Vineyards
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Oct 24 - Thursday, Oct 27
Iron Horse Chardonnays
4 bottles for $89.99 $22.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay
2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Iron Horse Chardonnays - $70 = 25.92%
Combined IH Labrat
Lo and behold, a flying monkey dropped off not one, but two Unicorns in a Golden Ticket! (You might see him, he didn’t want to let go!) Being Iron Horse Chardonnays, hard to share with my usual suspects (@TimothyB and @JavaDrinker)! May see if either want to try Day 2.
Being Iron Horse Chardonnays, I tasted them without food, Day 2 report will include food.
Both are sublime! Both are good for those NOT needing furniture chewing Oak taste!
Rated 97 for UnOaked
Rated 95 for Heritage
Full disclosure, not in their Wine Club, but I buy as much as possibIe when it shows up here!
I did splurge last year for 2 cases of the 2018 UnOaked!
2018 Iron Horse Heritage Chardonnay
Rating: 95
Got the green apple, vanilla, with the hint of oak, but not the apricot,. As always, well balanced, lemon on front palate, green apple, and smooth crisp finish.
Not the furniture chewing Oak that some like (well, I haven’t met a Chardonnay I haven’t liked!), but there is a bit of buttery taste.
2019 Iron Horse UnOaked Chardonnay
Rated: 97
Nom, nom, nom!
Not a Chardonnay for you furniture chewing Oak fanatics. Bright, crisp, and clean,
As promised in the writeup, freshly cut, juicy apples shine brightly and it is crisp and creamy.
Nose: As in writeup - juicy red apple, lychee fruit, dried stone fruit, and hints of tropical fruit.
Smooth finish.
Here’s the back Labels:
Autobuy!
/giphy dirty-withered-corpse
Appropriate for October!
/giphy dirty-withered-corpse
Can’t ever refuse an Iron Horse case
/giphy acrid-infected-graveyard
/giphy rotten-derisive-bard
@cduan if you need a split and the lady approves let me know!
Autobuy. Quality grapes and winemaking at a ridiculous value.
/giphy foul-dusky-shadow
Central OH split? (Dublin area)
@lehigh I’m in. I’m in S-W CMH.
Easy buy now we need an Iron Horse sparkling offer before the holidays!
/giphy desecrated-frightful-sorcery
How long will these cellar for? Normally Iron Horse is an auto buy for me, but I have a backlog i’m working through, and likely won’t get to these for at least at two to three years.
@mtb002 Generally, properly stored, years.
Browse through the CT listings for past vintages and see how many bottles are still in cellars…
SoCal splits?
The unoaked are all yours, as I already have a good stock and just interested in the Heritage.
/giphy abandoned-surging-soldier
Not the usual food pairing for the (admittedly 2018} UnOaked Chardonnay… ANZAC Biscuits.
I know you are probably thinking I’ve gone around the bend. Hang with me. The Chardonnay has gorgeous citrus notes as well as acidic bite that pair amazing well with the cookies.
See @MarkdaSpark tasting notes above. Completely coincidentally, I have a bottle of the 2018 UnOaked in my fridge, purchased on last year’s offering.
The ANZAC biscuits (the kind that are oats, coconut, honey, and slightly-cinnamon flavored) are not too sweet. The oats and honey play amazingly well with the lemony notes of the chardonnay. The coconut and coconut oil are cut by the acidity of the wine.
TBH, it’s a freaking amazing pairing that I would gladly serve as the after-after-after Thanksgiving Dinner course. When you are watching College Football or movies with the family.
@cjsiege Thanks, that is useful, also because I had to look up what an ANZAC biscuit is. Did you learn about those while serving in the Australian or New Zealand Army Corps in World War 1?
It sounds like a nice healthy food bar/biscuit you can make yourself. is that how you do them, or are you able to buy them? The recipe info I found stressed the sweet component, but sounds like the sweetness is toned-down in the version you have, which is the way I would want it too.
Glad I learned something new and unexpected!
And yes, I have a few bottles of Chard left from the previous offering, and might need more with this being a nice mix of two styles.
@pmarin – ha! No first hand, front lines experience with them. I learned about them while visiting Australia and New Zealand a few years ago. There are so many stories about the biscuits in their food culture.
I have not made them myself, so far. I found some on sale at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago.
There are a lot (!!!) of recipes out there. I have seen some that look sickly sweet and some that look like a savory cracker. These were “Graham cracker” level of sweet. Sorta middling.
Good luck in sifting through the recipes!
I made two purchases of Iron Horse here previously and an earlier purchase when I visited their vineyard. Good stuff. Auto-buy
/giphy ghoulish-mystic-seance
I’m in for a case - couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately, my cellar is poorly stocked with whites. But this should remedy that.