Pale pink in color, Resilience has aromas of dried strawberry and raspberry, toastiness, and hints of citrus. Lively on the front palate with raspberry and apricot. A touch of creaminess on the mid to back palate, with a perfect balance of acidity and flavors.
Precision Winegrowing
At Iron Horse “Estate Bottled” means that the winemaking begins in the vineyard. Our location in Green Valley, only a dozen miles from the Pacific Ocean, represents the very best soil, climate, and aspects for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Our goal is to grow the finest wine grapes through what 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.
Precision Harvesting is Key
Our only rule is to make the most delicious wines of the vintage. We wait until harvest to decide sparkling or still, as the main difference is the brix level (or the amount of sugar in the grapes, less for sparklings, more for still). Then winemaker David Munksgard considers berry size (bigger is better for sparklings, smaller for still), the health of the canopy, clone selection, even small details such as the relative dampness of the cover crop can make a difference. If necessary, parts of the same block may be picked on different days.
Artisanal Winemaking
Hand-harvested in the chilly fog of early morning, our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes are gently pressed as whole clusters yielding base wines of great delicacy. The juice ferments slowly at 62° to 65° f retaining vibrant fruit esters. In blending this wine, we chose Pinot Noir and Chardonnay lots that were a bit shy by nose with a touch of ’fruit forwardness’ resulting in a sparkling wine that shows wonderful complexity that is rich, nutty, and toasty with a hint of fruit. The dosage for this wine is 8 mls of Blanc de Blancs LEX, 12 mls of 2018 Gold Ridge Pinot Noir, and 6mls of 2020 Rued Clone Chardonnay.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: 67% Pinot Noir 33% Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Malolactic Fermentation: None
Harvest Dates: August 20 - September 18, 2019
Date Bottled: July 2020
Disgorging Date: August 2023
Alcohol: 13.5% v/v
Acidity: 7.0 g/L
Residual Sugar: 6.8 g/L
pH: 2.99
Total Production: 450 Cases
Resilience is the ineffable quality to bounce back. Rather than letting adversity overcome us, we find a way to bubble up to the top. Proceeds from this vintage benefit the Sonoma County Resilience Fund, established after the devastating 2017 wildfires, and the Maui Strong Fuld to support them on their journey of recovery and resilience. It is a pale pink, vintage rosé. Extremely Limited.
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, KY, 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
2019 Iron Horse Resilience Sparkling
4 bottles for $149.99 $37.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $379.99 $31.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I made no secret of the fact that I was interesting in seeing more sparkling wine on the site. In fact, I started the “Wish List 2024” thread challenging WD and Casemates to step up their sparkling game. And just the other day I mentioned Iron Horse sparkling in the ‘waiting on repeat sales from us’ thread.
Then came the random sparkling offer. And now this.
When I learned that I’d been selected as a Labrat for an Iron Horse sparkler, I was overwhelmed with a mix of excitement with a profound sense of responsibility. A brief Google search showed no Casemates IH sparkling-only offer since 2019. It’s rare as hen’s teeth!
The timing was also great. My father-in-law was in town, one of the few wine lovers in my extended family. We decided to sample this offering at a local Dim Sum/Chinese place that offers BYOB. Let the games begin!
The tasting started off with a bang, literally. I desultorily opened the cage while chatting with the family. The next thing I knew, the cork launched skyward, ricocheting off the ceiling into a nearby soup bowl. Sparkling wine began pouring out, splashing me with the delicate nectar.
The fault here was mine. The wine had just arrived a few hours earlier and I did not take the necessary precautions. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the wine lost was minimal. Now, let’s get to the good stuff!
The wine poured a lovely golden color with plenty of bubbles. Aromatically, there was a lot going on: Granny Smith apple, pear, and lemon curd. Dosage didn’t appear to be overly sweet. I’d put it firmly in the brut category, with a moderate richness. This was not an austere wine. There were no yeasty/bready notes to speak of.
On the palate there was good effervescence which worked well to compliment the food without being overpowering. The finish was medium plus, lasting a good 20-30 seconds. Flavors were heavily leaning toward apple with perhaps a hint of peach.
The wine was a wonderful accompaniment to my Chinese styled fried chicken. Those fantastic bubbles erased any hint of greasiness, with a richness that melded with the spicy coating. The soup dumplings also went well, though not quite as perfect as the chicken.
This wine is just starting it’s life but is hitting on all cylinders, even at this young stage. It was a huge hit with my wife and father-in-law. I expect to see it gain complexity over the next 3-5 years.
I’ve been asking for sparkling wine and clearly WD and Casemates are listening. I’m not sure what price point we’ll see, but I’m confident this will be a great opportunity to get some top notch domestic sparkling at a solid discount. I just took delivery of the mystery sparkling offer but am very tempted to also jump in here. Thanks to Alice, WD, and Joy for the opportunity to sample this beautiful wine.
I’m usually in for the max order on sparklings (drinking a Portalupi from the Mystery set of a few days ago as I write this.)
But whoa, Nelly! This one is a bit above my price point. It would have to be more than three times better than say an offering of Gruet, and while I don’t doubt that, I didn’t hear that in the Lab Rat review.
I still have a the bottles of the 1-2015 Iron Horse Brut, 1-2014 Wedding Cuvee and 1-2015 Still Chardonnay from the Jan 2019 Casemates offering for which I paid $30/bottle. Owing in part to what I paid at that time, I have been reluctant to chill one for a daily drinker. So there they sit on my wine rack.
Now to be sure this price is not that much different per bottle, but given the total amounts of sparklings that I have in inventory, I’ll pass, and consider putting one or two of the bottles, which I do have out of their misery, in the near future, eh?
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 Iron Horse Resilience Sparkling - $70 = 15.55%
@CorTot I kinda, sorta thought it might look pinkish, maybe?, when I squinted at the picture. I guess we could ask @hscottk for first-hand observations.
I was concerned when my delivery was scheduled for today in the DMV in the midst of one of our worst heatwaves. Fortunately my regular UPS driver runs near my house around 10am. Bottles were room temp, so feeling pretty good!
@skubaryk
Waiting on mine to show up. Was given a delivery window of 11:15 - 3:15. So I knew I had to haul ass over here this morning when the tracking finally showed “Out for delivery” at 9:42. In my experience, they either show up before the window or well after. Thankfully there was no door tag when I got here, so I settled in for a long day of waiting. Window has now come and gone. Typical “Brown”.
@chipgreen So… any update? Mine was loaded on the truck around 7:30 this morning, and rode around in this infernal heat until 4:30 this afternoon. The bottles weren’t cool, but neither were they warm. Hope yours show up in similar condition.
A bit warm when delivered today in the northeast. How worried should I be about longevity? Does a 10 year wine get reduced to 5? Is it basically drink now because of the exposure? Curious what the general thought is on this.
Wednesday, 2024-07-17
2 days 03:34 AM
A mechanical failure has delayed delivery. We’re adjusting plans to deliver your package as quickly as possible. / Delivery will be delayed by one business day.
At least tomorrow is forecast to be a ‘cool-ish’ day;
Friday, not!
2019 Iron Horse Resilience Sparkling
Tasting Notes
Precision Winegrowing
Precision Harvesting is Key
Artisanal Winemaking
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $900/case MSRP
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, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 22 - Tuesday, Jul 23
2019 Iron Horse Resilience Sparkling
4 bottles for $149.99 $37.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $379.99 $31.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Iron Horse Resilience
Hello, Mates!
TLDR: Buy, buy buy!
I made no secret of the fact that I was interesting in seeing more sparkling wine on the site. In fact, I started the “Wish List 2024” thread challenging WD and Casemates to step up their sparkling game. And just the other day I mentioned Iron Horse sparkling in the ‘waiting on repeat sales from us’ thread.
Then came the random sparkling offer. And now this.
When I learned that I’d been selected as a Labrat for an Iron Horse sparkler, I was overwhelmed with a mix of excitement with a profound sense of responsibility. A brief Google search showed no Casemates IH sparkling-only offer since 2019. It’s rare as hen’s teeth!
The timing was also great. My father-in-law was in town, one of the few wine lovers in my extended family. We decided to sample this offering at a local Dim Sum/Chinese place that offers BYOB. Let the games begin!
The tasting started off with a bang, literally. I desultorily opened the cage while chatting with the family. The next thing I knew, the cork launched skyward, ricocheting off the ceiling into a nearby soup bowl. Sparkling wine began pouring out, splashing me with the delicate nectar.
The fault here was mine. The wine had just arrived a few hours earlier and I did not take the necessary precautions. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the wine lost was minimal. Now, let’s get to the good stuff!
The wine poured a lovely golden color with plenty of bubbles. Aromatically, there was a lot going on: Granny Smith apple, pear, and lemon curd. Dosage didn’t appear to be overly sweet. I’d put it firmly in the brut category, with a moderate richness. This was not an austere wine. There were no yeasty/bready notes to speak of.
On the palate there was good effervescence which worked well to compliment the food without being overpowering. The finish was medium plus, lasting a good 20-30 seconds. Flavors were heavily leaning toward apple with perhaps a hint of peach.
The wine was a wonderful accompaniment to my Chinese styled fried chicken. Those fantastic bubbles erased any hint of greasiness, with a richness that melded with the spicy coating. The soup dumplings also went well, though not quite as perfect as the chicken.
This wine is just starting it’s life but is hitting on all cylinders, even at this young stage. It was a huge hit with my wife and father-in-law. I expect to see it gain complexity over the next 3-5 years.
I’ve been asking for sparkling wine and clearly WD and Casemates are listening. I’m not sure what price point we’ll see, but I’m confident this will be a great opportunity to get some top notch domestic sparkling at a solid discount. I just took delivery of the mystery sparkling offer but am very tempted to also jump in here. Thanks to Alice, WD, and Joy for the opportunity to sample this beautiful wine.
@hscottk Never had XLB with bubbles. Clearly I need to step up my game.
@hscottk lucky you to get to rat the iron horse!
@hscottk @klezman
Be nice if RPM also got a Rat
There may be some SoCal bottles available
@rjquillin maybe…
@klezman @rjquillin We would take 2 or 3 if they’re available. Pick up at the Arboretum?
@davirom @klezman
Should work
@davirom @rjquillin let me know how many I should take. Up to 4.
@davirom @klezman
My reply, from hours ago, must still be on my work computer, unsent…
3 davirom (or 2)
4 klezman (or ?)
it was a busy day
/showme a tepid indigo plot
I’m usually in for the max order on sparklings (drinking a Portalupi from the Mystery set of a few days ago as I write this.)
But whoa, Nelly! This one is a bit above my price point. It would have to be more than three times better than say an offering of Gruet, and while I don’t doubt that, I didn’t hear that in the Lab Rat review.
I still have a the bottles of the 1-2015 Iron Horse Brut, 1-2014 Wedding Cuvee and 1-2015 Still Chardonnay from the Jan 2019 Casemates offering for which I paid $30/bottle. Owing in part to what I paid at that time, I have been reluctant to chill one for a daily drinker. So there they sit on my wine rack.
Now to be sure this price is not that much different per bottle, but given the total amounts of sparklings that I have in inventory, I’ll pass, and consider putting one or two of the bottles, which I do have out of their misery, in the near future, eh?
Autobuy
/giphy limp-miffed-music
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 Iron Horse Resilience Sparkling - $70 = 15.55%
Always all in on iron horse
/giphy dispensable-finicky-trapper
/giphy likeable-awestruck-margarita
Gotta give it a try.
/giphy exclusive-bleary-pancake
Pretty excited to see Iron Horse sparklers again. I feel like it’s been a while??
In for 4!
Description says this is pink, rat pics show a white sparkler.
Want to buy but we are in July and that’s when bad staff happens to wine….
@CorTot Same for me, been pondering all day about this offer and summertime heat.
@CorTot I kinda, sorta thought it might look pinkish, maybe?, when I squinted at the picture. I guess we could ask @hscottk for first-hand observations.
@CorTot @InFrom I noticed the pink descriptor. It looked more like a deep, golden color to me. I think my photo was a pretty good representation.
@CorTot @hscottk @InFrom
Probably similar to the Wedding Cuvee which just has a tinge of pink to it. When the light shines on it a certain way.
/giphy daunting-callous-steak
Can’t resist getting some Iron Horse, especially since we’re running low. Also haven’t had this specific one before.
/giphy bragging-ecstatic-bead
@chipgreen want to part with a few?
@marjoryk
I have already parted with 5 but willing to part with 2 more.
Okay New Jerseyans, who wants to split? I’m happy to take 4 or 6.
@hscottk you in South Jersey? I’m in Philly, looking to split a 12
Does anyone in Minnesota - Twin Cities west - want to split a case?
@dmischke99 I’d be in for 3-4. I transit the TCs every 1-2 mos.
@takethefarm I have a case coming. Unless I hear from anyone else, you get 3 or 4.
Iron horse is always an automatic autobuy, even though I don’t have room. Thanks Joy! I’m glad it didn’t sell out yet.
/giphy twisted-fussy-tinker
Anyone if San Francisco or
Nearby want to split a case?
I couldn’t resist. Ordered a case. Still willing to share a few bottles.
Yep, in.
/giphy hospitable-hyperactive-club
I promised myself next time I saw Iron Horse sparklers here I’d buy them, storage space be damned!
/giphy pointless-economic-sycamore
/giphy buoyant-vindictive-hole
@marjoryk
So I guess that’s a “no” on the 2 bottles?
@chipgreen @marjoryk
@chipgreen I only hot the four bottles. I didn’t hear from you and you was afraid it would sell out ,but I’d still buy 2 if u r willing
@marjoryk
Sure, I’ll put you down for 2.
@chipgreen @marjoryk
/showme a leaking case of wine
@chipgreen ty!
@chipgreen @rjquillin /showme a champagne cork breaking something
@marjoryk @rjquillin
Probably have to start a new line with it.
/showme a champagne cork breaking something
@chipgreen so did you get it?
Always in for two cases when it comes to the iron!
@cduan Are you considering?
Been lurking for something like this, but only room for 4. Bonus is it’s for SWMBO
Resistance is futile!
/giphy unified-spiffy-cherry
I was concerned when my delivery was scheduled for today in the DMV in the midst of one of our worst heatwaves. Fortunately my regular UPS driver runs near my house around 10am. Bottles were room temp, so feeling pretty good!
@skubaryk
Waiting on mine to show up. Was given a delivery window of 11:15 - 3:15. So I knew I had to haul ass over here this morning when the tracking finally showed “Out for delivery” at 9:42. In my experience, they either show up before the window or well after. Thankfully there was no door tag when I got here, so I settled in for a long day of waiting. Window has now come and gone. Typical “Brown”.
@chipgreen So… any update? Mine was loaded on the truck around 7:30 this morning, and rode around in this infernal heat until 4:30 this afternoon. The bottles weren’t cool, but neither were they warm. Hope yours show up in similar condition.
@InFrom
Finally showed up at 6:45. 3.5 hours after the 4 hour window. Thankfully, it’s only 80° here today.
@chipgreen I guess you could say they’re reliable (you can rely on them to mess up your delivery in some way).
@chipgreen @skubaryk yep mine changed twice
A bit warm when delivered today in the northeast. How worried should I be about longevity? Does a 10 year wine get reduced to 5? Is it basically drink now because of the exposure? Curious what the general thought is on this.
@hscottk Personally, I don’t think that’s high enough for long enough to significantly affect longevity. But I don’t have any science to back that up.
@klezman Thanks!
Wednesday, 2024-07-17
2 days 03:34 AM
A mechanical failure has delayed delivery. We’re adjusting plans to deliver your package as quickly as possible. / Delivery will be delayed by one business day.
At least tomorrow is forecast to be a ‘cool-ish’ day;
Friday, not!
@rjquillin
Ugh, GL! Hopefully today.
@chipgreen
arrived, temp fine; at least upon delivery…