These gorgeous Chardonnays spotlight 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.
Tasting Notes
We find grilled grapefruit, green fig and pretzel dough aromas that accompany the light honey notes found in this vintage of Heritage Chardonnay. Bright acid balances a creamy mouthfeel and long finish. Very approachable upon release, the Heritage exudes Hyde Old Wente Clonal characteristics and will be quite enjoyable for several years to come. Pairs beautifully with crab cakes, salmon tartar, bacon wrapped scallops, prosciutto, and whole wheat pasta and caper pesto. This is a great vegetable wine…especially heirloom tomatoes.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes had at least an hour of skin contact in the press, mainly for flavor extraction. Fermentation is in 100% brand new French oak barrels, with the difference that the staves are water bent (instead of fire bent), which tones down the impact of the wood. Frequent lees stirring, or ‘batonnage’, at least three times a week for over seven months, contributes to the long finish and unique mouth-feel. Very approachable upon release, our Heritage Chardonnay exudes Hyde Old Wente clonal characteristics and will age beautifully for years to come.
2016 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
90 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Varietal: Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Blend: 100% Hyde Old Wente Clone Chardonnay
Barrel: 100% Water Bent French Oak
Harvest Date: August 26, 2016
Alcohol: 13.6%
pH: 3.4
Acidity: 0.57 g/100ml
Bottling Date: October 3, 2017
Residual Sugar: <2g/L
Production: 390 cases
2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
90 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: Chardonnay
Blend: 100% Hyde Old Wente Clone Chardonnay
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Barrel: Water bent French oak barrels, 22% of which were new; 2.8 year average
Iron Horse produces exclusively estate-bottled still and sparkling wines with a distinct “sense of place”. They are specific to the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley AVA, plus the uniqueness of our vineyard, and the vintage at hand. As a result, our wines are elegant, bright, focused, highly nuanced, and silky smooth. They exude quality, grace and optimism. Above all, we strive for balance: balance in the vineyard, balance in the glass. For us, balance equals beauty. We never resort to recipe winemaking. We pride ourselves on our history and our evolution.
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, IA, 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
Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
6 bottles for $184.99 $30.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $299.99 $25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Last minute lab rat, though I will take this on short notice anytime. The bottle got here via UPS at 6 pm, put in it the regular fridge to try to cool it a bit. Got my Pfizer booster today and my arm is sore, so didn’t want to cook, but had spaghetti and meatballs to heat up from last night. Nose is a bit tight, but some citrus, nothing floral at all. I was expecting more astringency based on the nose, but it’s nice and smooth. Lemon, melon, no butter, good dry finish. I thought the tomato sauce might overwhelm it, but the acidities complemented each other rather nicely. this is another wonderful Chardonnay from Iron Horse, more citrus forward than others. This would be really good with any kind of lemon dish. I found myself craving lemon bars for dessert. It’s my birthday in a couple of days, so I couldn’t have been more pleased to have this as a surprise. Thanks Casemates and Joy!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016-2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay - $70 = 18.92%
Loved the Two Clones and Heart of the Vineyards Iron Horse offerings on CM last time. Does anyone know how the Heritage compares to those two, and if the Heritage is oak-y? (Not a fan of oak in Chardonnays.)
@cduan
You notice it’s not really astringent, very smooth, not much minerality, though you do get a bit of tanin dry mouth on the finish. You can tell it’s been oaked without tasting a bunch of butter/sweet, if that makes any sense.
90 Points. From estate vines planted to the Hyde Old Wente clone, this white is understated and elegant in style and approach. Apple, mango and lime commingle along a refined palate of integrated oak and balanced ripeness. VB 10/1/20
Spectator on the '16:
90 Points. Open-textured and plush, with light buttery notes to the apple pastry, pear tart and creamy flavors. Beeswax and lemon grass details fill the finish. Drink now through 2021. 390 cases made. — KM 12/15/18
I adored my heart of the vineyard 2016. Haven’t tried the 17, but looking at the two specs side by side, they seem nearly identical. (I know little bit more new oak here, little bit more acidity there, different harvest date can make a drastically different wine, so what is the main difference?)
Compelling offer seeing as how much I adored the other Iron Horse chardonnay, but a little bit out of my budget right now.
Unoaked, or lightly oaked is my preference for Chardonnay. But then I don’t think we have ever gotten a heavily oaked butterbomb from IH before, so its probably pretty safe that we’ll love it.
Iron Horse Chardonnay. It’s not quite an ‘auto-buy’, but might as well be. If I don’t have a case on hand, time to consider restocking with more.
We really enjoyed the 2017 Two Clones Chardonnay, especially for $16 case price. As others have said, it was smooth and well-rounded with just enough oak - not buttery. The $25 price is a bit high for me right now, and my cellar is quite full.
Good afternoon…apologies for the short and sweet rattage…JUST BUY!!!
Day one:
Short time in fridge to cool and calm down for the day in the brown truck.
Pop and pour…hmmmm, this is delicious, definitely not oaky (my preference) but smooth and mmm, let me pour another glass!
Definitely on the drier side, smooth but not buttery or heavy, just perfect!
I did open a bottle of the Iron House Two Clones 2017 to compare and found it quite stringent (not sure if that is the right terminology) compared to the 2016 Heritage.
This was a great wine by itself and also with chicken pot pie (Fresh Market). Definitely no gourmet meal this evening, but sometimes that’s all you can do.
Day two:
Decided to start with the Two Clones and it was good, but the 2016 Heritage is divine and making me wish they sent two bottles!
Again, sorry for the short, very incomplete rattage but that’s all my day can give.
If you like Chardonnay, this is a no brainer. Great acidity, varietally correct.
My unfortunate circumstance is that my wife got me into Chardonnay about 15 years ago. About 2 years ago she lost her taste for white wine completely and I don’t keep it around anymore or I will take the whole bottle to my dome in one night!
Tasting Notes
We find grilled grapefruit, green fig and pretzel dough aromas that accompany the light honey notes found in this vintage of Heritage Chardonnay. Bright acid balances a creamy mouthfeel and long finish. Very approachable upon release, the Heritage exudes Hyde Old Wente Clonal characteristics and will be quite enjoyable for several years to come. Pairs beautifully with crab cakes, salmon tartar, bacon wrapped scallops, prosciutto, and whole wheat pasta and caper pesto. This is a great vegetable wine…especially heirloom tomatoes.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes had at least an hour of skin contact in the press, mainly for flavor extraction. Fermentation is in 100% brand new French oak barrels, with the difference that the staves are water bent (instead of fire bent), which tones down the impact of the wood. Frequent lees stirring, or ‘batonnage’, at least three times a week for over seven months, contributes to the long finish and unique mouth-feel. Very approachable upon release, our Heritage Chardonnay exudes Hyde Old Wente clonal characteristics and will age beautifully for years to come.
2016 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
90 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Specs
2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
90 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $669/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, 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, Oct 25 - Friday, Oct 29
Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
6 bottles for $184.99 $30.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $299.99 $25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay
Iron Horse 2017 Heritage Chardonnay
Last minute lab rat, though I will take this on short notice anytime. The bottle got here via UPS at 6 pm, put in it the regular fridge to try to cool it a bit. Got my Pfizer booster today and my arm is sore, so didn’t want to cook, but had spaghetti and meatballs to heat up from last night. Nose is a bit tight, but some citrus, nothing floral at all. I was expecting more astringency based on the nose, but it’s nice and smooth. Lemon, melon, no butter, good dry finish. I thought the tomato sauce might overwhelm it, but the acidities complemented each other rather nicely. this is another wonderful Chardonnay from Iron Horse, more citrus forward than others. This would be really good with any kind of lemon dish. I found myself craving lemon bars for dessert. It’s my birthday in a couple of days, so I couldn’t have been more pleased to have this as a surprise. Thanks Casemates and Joy!
@mtb002 Appreciate the report especially after getting a booster.
@mtb002 Gottleib thanks you for their stock performance, thanks for the review!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016-2017 Iron Horse Vineyards Heritage Chardonnay - $70 = 18.92%
Loved the Two Clones and Heart of the Vineyards Iron Horse offerings on CM last time. Does anyone know how the Heritage compares to those two, and if the Heritage is oak-y? (Not a fan of oak in Chardonnays.)
@cduan let me know if you pull the trigger, would be willing to split
@cduan
You notice it’s not really astringent, very smooth, not much minerality, though you do get a bit of tanin dry mouth on the finish. You can tell it’s been oaked without tasting a bunch of butter/sweet, if that makes any sense.
Reviews reviews… I know …who cares!?
Wine Enthusiast on the 2017:
90 Points. From estate vines planted to the Hyde Old Wente clone, this white is understated and elegant in style and approach. Apple, mango and lime commingle along a refined palate of integrated oak and balanced ripeness. VB 10/1/20
Spectator on the '16:
90 Points. Open-textured and plush, with light buttery notes to the apple pastry, pear tart and creamy flavors. Beeswax and lemon grass details fill the finish. Drink now through 2021. 390 cases made. — KM 12/15/18
fwiw
@kaolis I care! Thank you for consistently posting these.
I adored my heart of the vineyard 2016. Haven’t tried the 17, but looking at the two specs side by side, they seem nearly identical. (I know little bit more new oak here, little bit more acidity there, different harvest date can make a drastically different wine, so what is the main difference?)
Compelling offer seeing as how much I adored the other Iron Horse chardonnay, but a little bit out of my budget right now.
Unoaked, or lightly oaked is my preference for Chardonnay. But then I don’t think we have ever gotten a heavily oaked butterbomb from IH before, so its probably pretty safe that we’ll love it.
Iron Horse Chardonnay. It’s not quite an ‘auto-buy’, but might as well be. If I don’t have a case on hand, time to consider restocking with more.
Buy!!
We really enjoyed the 2017 Two Clones Chardonnay, especially for $16 case price. As others have said, it was smooth and well-rounded with just enough oak - not buttery. The $25 price is a bit high for me right now, and my cellar is quite full.
Iron Horse 2016 Heritage Chardonnay
Good afternoon…apologies for the short and sweet rattage…JUST BUY!!!
Day one:
Short time in fridge to cool and calm down for the day in the brown truck.
Pop and pour…hmmmm, this is delicious, definitely not oaky (my preference) but smooth and mmm, let me pour another glass!
Definitely on the drier side, smooth but not buttery or heavy, just perfect!
I did open a bottle of the Iron House Two Clones 2017 to compare and found it quite stringent (not sure if that is the right terminology) compared to the 2016 Heritage.
This was a great wine by itself and also with chicken pot pie (Fresh Market). Definitely no gourmet meal this evening, but sometimes that’s all you can do.
Day two:
Decided to start with the Two Clones and it was good, but the 2016 Heritage is divine and making me wish they sent two bottles!
Again, sorry for the short, very incomplete rattage but that’s all my day can give.
DEFINITELY…a buy Long day!
@SueBee22 Thank you for the rattage. Sounds delish.
I love Iron Horse, and I’m almost out of chardonnay, but this is too steep for me at the moment.
No Kansas!
If you like Chardonnay, this is a no brainer. Great acidity, varietally correct.
My unfortunate circumstance is that my wife got me into Chardonnay about 15 years ago. About 2 years ago she lost her taste for white wine completely and I don’t keep it around anymore or I will take the whole bottle to my dome in one night!