I hadn’t intended to start drinking before 10AM this beautiful Saturday morning, but “rat” duty calls. What a fantastic way to start the weekend!
I received the 2014 Wedding Cuvée Friday evening and put it in the fridge overnight.
I’m definitely a sparkling wine fan and getting to be a “rat” for the first time with an Iron Horse Rosé made my day!
Winemaker notes say “dangerously easy to drink” and I couldn’t agree more. I’m ready for glass number two. In general I don’t get much on the nose when smelling sparkling wines, much better with reds in that area, but I did get a mild orange note.
Tasting this wine is pure pleasure. The long finish is real. I get a mild tart-ness that lingers for minutes after each sip. In my mind that ties in perfectly with the pink grapefruit and lime as described.
I tried a bit of 73% cacao “Extra Dark Chocolate” early in the second glass and it pairs perfectly. Yummy!
For comparison to other Casemates rosés, I’ve been a big fan of the Gruet sparkling wines sold here but the recent Gruet rosé is almost flavorless compared to this Wedding Cuvée. Comparing it to the Van Ruiten 2017 Rosé, this Wedding Cuvée is more “structured” and less fruity.
@lagloriafan
Breakfast of Champions! I usually don’t think of the Wedding Cuvee as a Rose although there is more Pinot than Chard in it and it does have a pale pink hue. Nice notes, thanks.
We placed a bottle of Wedding Cuvee on each table at our wedding reception and a 3L at our own table. My wife bought Bride and Groom champagne flutes which we were drinking from, until one of our drunken guests knocked mine out of my hand on the dance floor. One of my buddies got a plastic pitcher from the bar for me and filled it with leftover Wedding Cuvee from the unfinished bottles. I started drinking straight from the pitcher and ended up carrying it around with me the entire night, refilling along the way. Good times…
@MarkDaSpark
Those are some generous gifts! I did save the bottle, as ddeuddeg told me about the engraving, thanks for reminding me - it’s only been 2+ years!
Well, after a month or two of pestering (annoying?) poor @winedavid49 over on the “Clue” thread…I’m in! It’s not exactly the kind of IH offer I was envisioning, and I’m not usually a big fan of surprises in my orders, but it’s IH and they never disappoint!
Now…I start my no-buy (actually a “low-buy” since the Selyem allocations come out in a week or so).
@chipgreen@karenhynes@klezman i don’t think there’ll be any T Bar ( so cool that offer way back when is still resonating…) but if you check out the iron horse website, you can deduce some higher priced wines in each of the categories. think single vineyard for the still category. i don’t think there’ll be any LD’s in the mix, but everything else is on the table for the sparklings.
@chipgreen
I can’t imagine a “bad” IH surprise either. That said, my hesitation in jumping on this offer was the inclusion of (still) Chardonnay. I’m not much of a Chard fan, no matter who makes it. I’m sure I’ll be more than happy with whatever I receive (even the Chard)!
@jmdavidson1
Madrid…Good for you! I hope you don’t plan to come back before next weekend. The predicted high temp middle of next week is around -11F. Madrid looks more suitable for humans.
I bought 2 of the 4 packs (space, funds, and known upcoming purchases have to factor in ). I didn’t feel particularly incentivized to go with a case and I feared for another early sell out! I could probably be convinced to part with a couple.
So… You’re an idiot if you don’t buy this. Iron Horse wines have made my life better on many levels. As an example, my son was born nine months after our last visit to their tasting room.
Also, all of their stuff is just delicious. Next level s#*# as they say.
@CruelMelody@radiolysis
Yes, 3 or 4 would make more sense. 1 upgrade per 4-pack with a potential bonus upgrade for the case purchase. In the past, when I have doubted the details and gone small (Meeker mystery offer comes to mind) I have regretted it. WD and the wineries are pretty good about doing the right thing when it comes to the variables on some of these offers.
With that in mind and the Joy of an Iron Horse offer, finally, I’m in for a case!
@chipgreen@CruelMelody@radiolysis Just order 3 4-packs. That should net you 3 upgrades for the same price as a case (unless someone wises up to this scheme and automatically “downgrades” the order to a full case).
@CruelMelody@Mark_L@radiolysis
FWIW, I have ordered multiple smaller allocations from both Casemates and Wine.Woot in the past and the orders were never combined.
Iron Horse Vineyards Mixed Still and Sparkling
4 bottles for $119.99 $30/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $359.99 $30/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Iron Horse Vineyards Mixed Still & Sparkling - $0 = 0.00%
OK, so you actually pay 2 cents more by getting the case instead of three 4-packs if you are a VMP with free shipping. Weird.
@chipgreen This is interesting. I believe every single Casemates offering has had non-trivial savings for buying a case, and usually substantially so. What is the story here? Math error on @WineDavid’s and Iron Horses’ part? Probably not.
My guess is that Iron Horse prizes particularly highly getting samples out to people to try, rather than moving product. I think most vendors here are somewhere between 100% MoveTheProduct to 50% MoveTheProduct / 50% GetPeopleTryingOurStuff. Perhaps this is a case where Iron Horse’ motivation is ~100% GetPeopleTryingOurStuff. If so, a good deal on 4-packs makes sense.
Well, they can’t fool me. I’m going to buy a whole case, and show them I won’t be manipulated! (I’ll show them!)
@CorTot@klezman
Hopefully just a typo or maybe they want some wiggle room to include better upgrades in the cases. They have favored full case buyers in the past afa upgrades and with no additional discount for the case purchase here, it would be surprising and disappointing if the upgrade ratio was lower for the case purchase than the 4-pack.
It appears so based on the description but as mentioned above, I have previously taken the descriptions too literally and ended up missing out on the better case allocations. (Still a little upset about the whole “no guarantee” of 2 Handprint Merlots in a case on that Meeker deal only to find out that the shortage was all about the Vinitwo del Finito of which I already had 10 bottles and didn’t care if I got more).
https://res.cloudinary.com/mediocre/image/upload/v1537473791
My first lab rat experience - Iron Horse 2015 Chardonnay
I get to my shop (where I have my wine delivered) Saturday and they inform me that I have a new box. Odd I say, I dont remember ordering wine over the last week or so, but I have forgotten orders in the past… And then I get a text from a friend who was chosen to be Lab Rat and the light bulb went off “ahhh haa, my first lab rat experience, Sweet!” So wifey and I chill and open it tonight while binge-watching.
I will start with some insight: Chardonnay is probably my least favorite white style, but we gave it a go anyway.
On the nose we both got the Green Apple and I also got Melon and a hint of lime. On first taste my wife said “pasta water or white wine butter sauce” and I said Melon rind with that slight lime from the nose. The second glass plays out the same for both of us and gladly finish the bottle. The wine has a pleasant, soft mouth feel and lingers on the pallet. This Chard is not a Vanilla bomb and is a very nice drinker; I could see it working very well as “porch pounder” in the warmer months.
@chipgreen@CObrent I’m sure I’d have gotten what davirom and Ron got - which I’m fine to have skipped.
But if I’d have gotten this 4-pack, I’m sad I didn’t participate!
@chipgreen@klezman I guess it’s fun to win the lottery every once in a while! I admit I’m a total noob at this and fail to realize how lucky I was with this offer, but maybe it’s partial recompense for missing out on the Eis Wine offer which I really wanted in on…just didn’t log in till it was already sold out.
I wanted to purchase three boxes of four, but my husband thought buying a case would give us really nice upgrades—one less upgrade than three boxes, so we should certainly have expected very nice upgrades, right? NOPE!
The Chard upgrade…fine.
But exchanging a Classic Brut for a Brut X… not fine.
We were slightly disappointed when we opened the case, but were REALLY DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE SAW WHAT OTHERS RECEIVED—Especially when we realized what was received by those who bought only a box of four.
…the words “l told you so” ring in my head. The “mystery” offers have not been good to us…PAVI MYSTERY LIBRARY!
Joy did accommodate us when we asked if she could throw in some extra bottles so a few random people could get a full 4 bottle upgrade. Some of those were 4 pack buyers and some were case buyers.
The addition of fully upgraded packs was an awesome surprise, although I disagree with giving them out to 4-pack buyers for several reasons. First, it technically cost more per bottle to buy a case vs. the 4-pack. Also, while I argued above that the Pinot Noir North Block is like a double upgrade, that is getting a little creative in order to try to justify that case buyers got a relatively even ratio of upgrades compared to 4-pack buyers.
Considering that this was the first deal to have no additional discount for case purchases, I was certain that case buyers would get an upgrade advantage but that did not happen. Had the “lottery” packs gone out to only case buyers, at least then we could have said that the chance of getting one of those gave us some kind of advantage for going big on the offer.
@arianaWCC@Winedavid49
I should add that even though I expressed disagreement with the distribution of the “lottery” packs, the fact that they even existed was an incredible and unexpected bonus! So, not a complaint, just feedback. My own packing error affected case aside, I think this was a great offer and was thrilled to finally see some Iron Horse on Casemates!
@arianaWCC@chipgreen@Winedavid49 Fully agree (as a non-‘lottery’ winner). Even though Iron Horse and the Eis Wine came in late first year/beginning second year, the inaugural year of CaseMates has managed to tick off all the ‘want to see’ items on my wine list, including mead! (with the sole exception being a winery I really don’t expect to see on CaseMates, that being Corison). So happy to see Iron Horse back!
By nose: raspberry, mandarin orange peel and nutmeg. In the mouth stone fruit, pink grapefruit, Tahitian lime, blood orange, raspberry with a gentle mouthfeel.
A food friendly wine that works with most styles, sauces and preparations. Pairs well with full flavored fish, pork chops, and chicken. Also try with crispy kale and stir fried vegetables. All you really need is dark, bittersweet chocolate!
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
This is Iron Horse’s most romantic bubbly. We describe the 2014 Wedding Cuvée as dangerously easy to drink. Pretty pink in color and capped off with a pure mousse, this fruit forward, elegantly dry bubbly, displays ultra tiny bubbles and an exceedingly long finish.
Specs
Harvest Date: August 8 – 30, 2014
Acid: .79 g/100ml
pH: 3.11
Bottling Date: April and May, 2015
Residual Sugar: 0.5 g/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%
2014 Classic Vintage Brut
Tasting Notes
By nose - rising dough, orange marmalade and baked apple. By mouth - ripe red apple, mandarin orange and hazelnut.
A perfect wine with poached eggs, smoked salmon and toast, salade Nicoise, hard cheeses, classic roast chicken with Yukon gold potatoes, harvest pear crisp with candied ginger.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Classic Vintage Brut is considered the “flagship” of the Iron Horse bubblies as it shows everything the family strives to accomplish, striking memory bells that say “champagne” in quality and finesse, but with flavors that are unmistakably Sonoma County, Russian River, Green Valley and most distinctly Iron Horse.
Specs
Appellation: Green Valley
Harvest Date: August 8 - August 30, 2014
Acid: .79 g/100ml
pH: 3.07
Bottling Date: April 2015
Residual Sugar: .50 g/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%
2015 Estate Chardonnay, Green Valley
Tasting Notes
By nose: great complexity with touches of pineapple, melon, green apple, kiwi, and yeast. By mouth: minerality, pineapple, lime, and a gentle mouth feel (a result of extensive batonnage).
Our Estate Chardonnay is a classic food wine. Try it with roasted cauliflower and cannellini bean salad, thyme - roasted chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a salad of baby greens, smoky ham and corn chowder. Salmon rillettes on buttered brioche would be a perfect hors d’oeuvre.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Estate Chardonnay is signature cool climate, foggy Green Valley in an exceptional vintage. It represents seven individual blocks on the estate giving it wonderful complexity with a silky texture.
Specs
Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Blend: 86% Hyde Old Wente, 14% Rued Clone Chardonnay
Acid: .64 g/100ml
pH: 3.28
Bottling Date: July 2015
Residual Sugar<: .20 g/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%
2013 Estate Pinot Noir, Green Valley
Tasting Notes
By nose: cassis, licorice, blackberry, red cherry, raspberry and roasting herbs. By mouth: cola nut, dark cherry, blackberry and dried herbs.
This is an elegant and very versatile wine with food. It is delicious with salmon, smoked duck, pork tenderloin with rashers of prosciutto ham, heirloom carrots and spaghetti squash, classic coq au vin, mushroom ragout on sourdough toast, triple creme cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
2013 was an outstanding vintage - both in quality and quantity. Newly replanted vineyards, heightened wine making and the uniqueness of Green Valley Pinot Noir all come together in a truly gorgeous bottle of wine with raspberry, red cherry flavors, a very pretty, soft, ripe entry and a long silky finish.
Specs
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation: Green Valley
Harvest Date: September 9-14, 2013
Acid: .50 g/100ml
pH: 3.70
Fermentation: 100% malolactic
Bottling Date: July 2014
Residual Sugar: >0.2g/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%
Included in the Box
4-bottles: You will receive 4 bottles, though at least one will be replaced with a higher value bottle of wine
1x 2014 Wedding Cuvée
1x 2014 Classic Vintage Brut
1x 2015 Estate Chardonnay, Green Valley
1x 2013 Estate Pinot Noir, Green Valley
Case: You will receive 12 bottles, though at least two will be replaced with a higher value bottle of wine
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@Winedavid49
Way to wear her down. Hopefully you can appeal to the angels of her better nature more than once a year going forward. Iron Horse is my favorite. I’ve been hanging on to my Commanders Palace bubbly, I was hoping to be able to pop it for a NO Super Bowl win, stupid refs.
I wish there was a way to just get the 2 sparklings. I love the Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee. One of my favorite Iron Horse wines. And a great engagement gift for people.
@Winedavid49
I dont know what they’re playing, but I love that the ? French horn player knows enough to plug his ear while the ?basson/bass clarinet is jumping out of his seat.
We absolutely were holding off due to all the 2018 stockpiling. And I held out a whole day… good enough, right? (and looking forward to a truck tour at Iron Horse still).
/giphy zany-retro-chimpanzee
@karenhynes Thanks for the link. However, the label actually says North Block, not Home Block. I tried to upload a picture of it but couldn’t get the syntax to work. Sorry.
@gillisr
The Classic Brut was supposed to be part of the base mix but has mostly been subbed for with the Ocean Reserve (at least in these early reports). There were two upgrades in your case - the Ocean Reserve and the North Block Pinot. Also, for some reason a third Estate Pinot was missing and there was an extra Wedding Cuvee instead, pretty much an even swap between those two.
@chipgreen Thanks. Now, in the light of day, I see that there are 3 2014 Wedding Cuvee and 2 Classic Brut. Believe it or not, I just ordered new glasses on Wednesday. They would have helped
Four pack contents:
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
2014 Classic Brut
2014 Brut “X” (sub for the Wedding Cuvee)
Love the Brut “X”, of which we were out- so glad to see it. The funny part was, I was looking forward to trying the Wedding Cuvee, which we haven’t ever had. (Joy, you got the next offer planned yet? )
@benguin986 That’s my 4 as well. Never had any of them but the positive comments made me pine for the Wedding Cuvée. So now I’ll look forward to the BrutX.
Case contents:
X4 2015 Nat Geo BdB
X4 2015 PN North Block
X4 2015 Chard Rued Clone
Got nice upgrades on the Chard! Thanks Joy and Co! One of my casemates wants to buy some PN, any idea how to value the bottle?
Edited because I have had a BdB before, don’t know how I forgot.
@mtb002
Now that I’ve seen the link to the PN above, I see that I really hit the jackpot! Wow, you guys, thank you so much! I have never been treated so well in one of these “surprise” cases, and I want to tell you how much that means to me. Having a bit of a rough time right now, so will save it for when things get better to celebrate. I have a rule, 1 glass when sad/mad, 2-3 if happy/celebrating.
@Winedavid49
Received notice yesterday that I missed an unexpected delivery and assumed it was this bottle. Turned out to be a Lab Rat opportunity instead, which I surely appreciate but am still hoping that the missing IH upgrade has not been forgotten?
By the ph,I suspect the pinot is the only one my household would like, though bubbly never goes amiss. How does this cuvee compare to the fizzy Anne Aimee or gruet from prior deals? Especially regarding the tartness and acidity.
@Jamileigh17 definitely more complex than Gruet. While I’ve not had these vintages, the ones I’ve had we’re more yeasty and tart and just “better”, albeit at nearly three times the price.
@Jamileigh17 The Gruet is a decent bubbly. Iron Horse will knock your socks off in comparison! There is not an Iron Horse bubbly or still-wine that I do not like. Always consistent. They make some of the best bubblies around with a lot more finesse than the before mentioned bubbly. These are well-made, well-balanced, brut wines. We have a lot of Iron Horse in our cellar and are members of their wine club.
We just had a bottle of the '14 Estate Chardonnay. It was lovely with a nice minerality and long finish. I absolutely LOVE the pinots from Iron Horse, specifically the Thomas Road or Deer Gate (not available here). When we want to buy a special pinot/drink a special pinot, we go for one of these. The Estate pinot is solid. It comes from a young vineyard. IIRC, this vineyard was planted new around 2000. We saw the new plantings while on an RPM Tour.
I see upgrades are available! I wonder to what? Bubbly or still?
@bahwm We can’t imagine not having some in the house. We still have our coupon for a tractor tour of the vineyard from a random case purchase at that other site; we hope to get out there soon-ish!
@sndg Soon-ish would be good. You want to get there before David Munksgard retires. Don’t know how soon that might be, but they do have an assistant winemaker working there already, and whether or not she’s willing to continue the truck tour, she won’t have the knowledge/experience that David has, after being there 20+ years. @bahwm went on the tour with him in the summer of 2017, and it was a terrific experience, one not to be missed.
@bahwm@ddeuddeg@sndg
I can confirm the truck tour is amazing. My wife and I did it on our first wedding anniversary, learned a lot, David is an great wine maker and a fantastic person!
@davirom@karenhynes@kray05@radiolysis@rjquillin got the same as davirom. Would’ve preferred the Brut over the Ocean Reserve but I guess it is technically an upgrade. Fair value but nothing screaming - good juice nonetheless.
Just got home from a trip and opened my box: @Winedavid49
2x Chardonnay estate
1x Pinot noir estate
1x classic brut
Weren’t there supposed to be 2 bubblies, 1 chard, and an upgrade?
I don’t even like Chardonnay. I got this for the bubbles. My intro on WW to the 2005 Wedding Cuvee and I was hooked.
@chipgreen
I have not. The last message I received was from CS about a week ago telling me they were checking to see if they had replacements in shippable condition. Haven’t heard a peep since then.
Have you received yours?
Popped a bottle of the Rued Clone Chardonnay for my birthday, and oh my. That is the best balanced Chard I’ve ever had. I’ll be needing more of that in future, please and thank you, Joy!
I hadn’t intended to start drinking before 10AM this beautiful Saturday morning, but “rat” duty calls. What a fantastic way to start the weekend!
I received the 2014 Wedding Cuvée Friday evening and put it in the fridge overnight.
I’m definitely a sparkling wine fan and getting to be a “rat” for the first time with an Iron Horse Rosé made my day!
Winemaker notes say “dangerously easy to drink” and I couldn’t agree more. I’m ready for glass number two. In general I don’t get much on the nose when smelling sparkling wines, much better with reds in that area, but I did get a mild orange note.
Tasting this wine is pure pleasure. The long finish is real. I get a mild tart-ness that lingers for minutes after each sip. In my mind that ties in perfectly with the pink grapefruit and lime as described.
I tried a bit of 73% cacao “Extra Dark Chocolate” early in the second glass and it pairs perfectly. Yummy!
For comparison to other Casemates rosés, I’ve been a big fan of the Gruet sparkling wines sold here but the recent Gruet rosé is almost flavorless compared to this Wedding Cuvée. Comparing it to the Van Ruiten 2017 Rosé, this Wedding Cuvée is more “structured” and less fruity.
I’m in for a case!
@lagloriafan
Breakfast of Champions! I usually don’t think of the Wedding Cuvee as a Rose although there is more Pinot than Chard in it and it does have a pale pink hue. Nice notes, thanks.
@chipgreen @lagloriafan Some vintages are decidedly more rosé than others.
We placed a bottle of Wedding Cuvee on each table at our wedding reception and a 3L at our own table. My wife bought Bride and Groom champagne flutes which we were drinking from, until one of our drunken guests knocked mine out of my hand on the dance floor. One of my buddies got a plastic pitcher from the bar for me and filled it with leftover Wedding Cuvee from the unfinished bottles. I started drinking straight from the pitcher and ended up carrying it around with me the entire night, refilling along the way. Good times…
@chipgreen Well, that is one heck of a story! Good times.
@chipgreen so Awesome!
@chipgreen TimB and I gave one of those 3L to HaK and Cheron at the RPMTour Joint Dinner at WineDavid & WineFarm’s place.
And I also gave one to my Nephew & Bride at their wedding!
And I have another for my son and DiL when they want.
Oh, and if you still have that bottle, IH will engrave your names!
@MarkDaSpark
Those are some generous gifts! I did save the bottle, as ddeuddeg told me about the engraving, thanks for reminding me - it’s only been 2+ years!
Well, after a month or two of pestering (annoying?) poor @winedavid49 over on the “Clue” thread…I’m in! It’s not exactly the kind of IH offer I was envisioning, and I’m not usually a big fan of surprises in my orders, but it’s IH and they never disappoint!
Now…I start my no-buy (actually a “low-buy” since the Selyem allocations come out in a week or so).
@karenhynes
I can’t imagine a bad Iron Horse surprise. I would faint from happiness if they threw in some T Bar T library bottles!
@karenhynes Are you in for a case or do you want to split? Let me know. In Madrid, so 7 hour time difference.
@chipgreen @karenhynes That’s just it…if I had a good sense of what the random bottle upgrades could be then I might be convinced to pull the trigger.
@chipgreen @karenhynes @klezman i don’t think there’ll be any T Bar ( so cool that offer way back when is still resonating…) but if you check out the iron horse website, you can deduce some higher priced wines in each of the categories. think single vineyard for the still category. i don’t think there’ll be any LD’s in the mix, but everything else is on the table for the sparklings.
@chipgreen
I can’t imagine a “bad” IH surprise either. That said, my hesitation in jumping on this offer was the inclusion of (still) Chardonnay. I’m not much of a Chard fan, no matter who makes it. I’m sure I’ll be more than happy with whatever I receive (even the Chard)!
@jmdavidson1
Madrid…Good for you! I hope you don’t plan to come back before next weekend. The predicted high temp middle of next week is around -11F. Madrid looks more suitable for humans.
I bought 2 of the 4 packs (space, funds, and known upcoming purchases have to factor in
). I didn’t feel particularly incentivized to go with a case and I feared for another early sell out! I could probably be convinced to part with a couple. 
@chipgreen @karenhynes
Inclusion of a Joy would be insane, so I’ll hope for the best in what comes.
@jmdavidson1 @karenhynes I’m doing the same re: 2 4-packs.
@chipgreen @karenhynes @rjquillin Hoping for a Joy would be truly insane. LOL
So… You’re an idiot if you don’t buy this. Iron Horse wines have made my life better on many levels. As an example, my son was born nine months after our last visit to their tasting room.
Also, all of their stuff is just delicious. Next level s#*# as they say.
@strongry what a great story!!!
“One bottle will actually be upgraded to a higher value wine in the 4-pack, and two bottles will be upgraded in the case”
Huh?
@radiolysis yeah idk
@radiolysis shouldn’t three or four be?
@CruelMelody @radiolysis
Yes, 3 or 4 would make more sense. 1 upgrade per 4-pack with a potential bonus upgrade for the case purchase. In the past, when I have doubted the details and gone small (Meeker mystery offer comes to mind) I have regretted it. WD and the wineries are pretty good about doing the right thing when it comes to the variables on some of these offers.
With that in mind and the Joy of an Iron Horse offer, finally, I’m in for a case!
/giphy rustic-fertile-cobweb
@chipgreen @CruelMelody @radiolysis Just order 3 4-packs. That should net you 3 upgrades for the same price as a case (unless someone wises up to this scheme and automatically “downgrades” the order to a full case).
@CruelMelody @Mark_L @radiolysis
FWIW, I have ordered multiple smaller allocations from both Casemates and Wine.Woot in the past and the orders were never combined.
Mmmmmmmm Iron Horse! Well done here! Cheers
An rpm AUTOBUY to be sure! A box for home and a box for Florida!
Four pack contents:
2014 Wedding Cuvee (which I really wanted!)
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2015 Ocean Reserve (sub for Classic Brut)
I am very happy with the selection shipped and will be saving the bubbly’s for my brother’s 50th anniversary celebration on the beach; perfect!
We received the same four pack. Very happy!
Iron Horse Vineyards Mixed Still and Sparkling
4 bottles for $119.99 $30/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $359.99 $30/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 Wedding Cuvée
2014 Classic Vintage Brut
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
2014 Wedding Cuvée
2014 Classic Vintage Brut
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Iron Horse Vineyards Mixed Still & Sparkling - $0 = 0.00%
OK, so you actually pay 2 cents more by getting the case instead of three 4-packs if you are a VMP with free shipping. Weird.
@chipgreen This is interesting. I believe every single Casemates offering has had non-trivial savings for buying a case, and usually substantially so. What is the story here? Math error on @WineDavid’s and Iron Horses’ part? Probably not.
My guess is that Iron Horse prizes particularly highly getting samples out to people to try, rather than moving product. I think most vendors here are somewhere between 100% MoveTheProduct to 50% MoveTheProduct / 50% GetPeopleTryingOurStuff. Perhaps this is a case where Iron Horse’ motivation is ~100% GetPeopleTryingOurStuff. If so, a good deal on 4-packs makes sense.
Well, they can’t fool me. I’m going to buy a whole case, and show them I won’t be manipulated! (I’ll show them!)
@chipgreen @PatrickKarcher lol, you scored!
Details on the potential upgrades?
@klezman Its also odd that the offer doesnt have 3 upgraded bottles for a case instead of 2. But otherwise nice offer WD.
Thanks Joy!
@CorTot @klezman
Hopefully just a typo or maybe they want some wiggle room to include better upgrades in the cases. They have favored full case buyers in the past afa upgrades and with no additional discount for the case purchase here, it would be surprising and disappointing if the upgrade ratio was lower for the case purchase than the 4-pack.
It appears so based on the description but as mentioned above, I have previously taken the descriptions too literally and ended up missing out on the better case allocations. (Still a little upset about the whole “no guarantee” of 2 Handprint Merlots in a case on that Meeker deal only to find out that the shortage was all about the Vinitwo del Finito of which I already had 10 bottles and didn’t care if I got more).
I’ve consumed a large amount of the Wedding Cuvée. IT IS REALLY REALLY GOOD.
Two 4-packs ordered. Very happy to see shipping is a few weeks out. Predicted low for Wednesday is -27. Chilly!
Cheers!
https://res.cloudinary.com/mediocre/image/upload/v1537473791
My first lab rat experience - Iron Horse 2015 Chardonnay
I get to my shop (where I have my wine delivered) Saturday and they inform me that I have a new box. Odd I say, I dont remember ordering wine over the last week or so, but I have forgotten orders in the past… And then I get a text from a friend who was chosen to be Lab Rat and the light bulb went off “ahhh haa, my first lab rat experience, Sweet!” So wifey and I chill and open it tonight while binge-watching.
I will start with some insight: Chardonnay is probably my least favorite white style, but we gave it a go anyway.
On the nose we both got the Green Apple and I also got Melon and a hint of lime. On first taste my wife said “pasta water or white wine butter sauce” and I said Melon rind with that slight lime from the nose. The second glass plays out the same for both of us and gladly finish the bottle. The wine has a pleasant, soft mouth feel and lingers on the pallet. This Chard is not a Vanilla bomb and is a very nice drinker; I could see it working very well as “porch pounder” in the warmer months.
My 4-pack - look forward to trying these!
2014 Brut “X”
2015 Nat Geo BdB
2015 Pinot Noir North Block
2015 Chard Rued Clone
@CObrent
Another box full of upgrades! Nice…
@chipgreen @CObrent I’m sure I’d have gotten what davirom and Ron got - which I’m fine to have skipped.
But if I’d have gotten this 4-pack, I’m sad I didn’t participate!
I think his 4-pack is worth more than my case!
@chipgreen @klezman I guess it’s fun to win the lottery every once in a while! I admit I’m a total noob at this and fail to realize how lucky I was with this offer, but maybe it’s partial recompense for missing out on the Eis Wine offer which I really wanted in on…just didn’t log in till it was already sold out.
@chipgreen @klezman @Siliconmage @CObrent @kray05 @mtb002 @sndg @david13 @lehigh @benguin986 @gillisr @davirom @radiolysis @karenhynes @rjquillin @pjoeltyler @davidd
@winedavid49 @ArianaWCC
I wanted to purchase three boxes of four, but my husband thought buying a case would give us really nice upgrades—one less upgrade than three boxes, so we should certainly have expected very nice upgrades, right? NOPE!
Received:
3 2013 Estate Pinot Noir
3 2014 Classic Vintage Brut
2 2014 Wedding Cuvee
2 2015 Estate Chardonnay
AND THE BIG SURPRISE…THE UPGRADES:
2 2014 Brut X. REALLY?
The Chard upgrade…fine.
But exchanging a Classic Brut for a Brut X… not fine.
We were slightly disappointed when we opened the case, but were REALLY DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE SAW WHAT OTHERS RECEIVED—Especially when we realized what was received by those who bought only a box of four.
…the words “l told you so” ring in my head. The “mystery” offers have not been good to us…PAVI MYSTERY LIBRARY!
@arianaWCC @benguin986 @chipgreen @CObrent @davidd @davirom @gillisr @karenhynes @klezman @kray05 @lehigh @mtb002 @pjoeltyler @radiolysis @rjquillin @Siliconmage @sndg @ValVin Thanks for the commentary and i’m sorry you don’t like the upgrades.
Joy did accommodate us when we asked if she could throw in some extra bottles so a few random people could get a full 4 bottle upgrade. Some of those were 4 pack buyers and some were case buyers.
@arianaWCC @benguin986 @CObrent @davidd @davirom @gillisr @karenhynes @klezman @kray05 @lehigh @mtb002 @pjoeltyler @radiolysis @rjquillin @Siliconmage @sndg @ValVin @Winedavid49
I think the general distribution was ok, minus some glitches. Seems like most of the 4-packs subbed either a Brut X or Ocean Reserve for the Classic Brut or Wedding Cuvee, each of those being a modest upgrade. The cases had one of the sparklings upgraded just like the 4-packs with the additional upgrade typically being the North Block Pinot, which is a more substantial upgrade than swapping sparklers, so it was in effect a double-upgrade.
The addition of fully upgraded packs was an awesome surprise, although I disagree with giving them out to 4-pack buyers for several reasons. First, it technically cost more per bottle to buy a case vs. the 4-pack. Also, while I argued above that the Pinot Noir North Block is like a double upgrade, that is getting a little creative in order to try to justify that case buyers got a relatively even ratio of upgrades compared to 4-pack buyers.
Considering that this was the first deal to have no additional discount for case purchases, I was certain that case buyers would get an upgrade advantage but that did not happen. Had the “lottery” packs gone out to only case buyers, at least then we could have said that the chance of getting one of those gave us some kind of advantage for going big on the offer.
PANS! GLANDS! CRAYONS! AWESOME!
@mediocrebot
Mediocrebot is turning into a textual giphy…
@chipgreen Yeah, seems to be whenever someone says a-w-e-s-o-m-e (spelling it out so as to avoid a repeat performance)
@InFrom
Oh, you found the trigger! Aweso… err… Nice!
@arianaWCC @Winedavid49
I should add that even though I expressed disagreement with the distribution of the “lottery” packs, the fact that they even existed was an incredible and unexpected bonus! So, not a complaint, just feedback. My own packing error affected case aside, I think this was a great offer and was thrilled to finally see some Iron Horse on Casemates!
@arianaWCC @chipgreen @Winedavid49 Fully agree (as a non-‘lottery’ winner). Even though Iron Horse and the Eis Wine came in late first year/beginning second year, the inaugural year of CaseMates has managed to tick off all the ‘want to see’ items on my wine list, including mead! (with the sole exception being a winery I really don’t expect to see on CaseMates, that being Corison). So happy to see Iron Horse back!
@CObrent I received the exact same: North Block PN, Rued Clone Chard, Brut X and Nat Geo BdB, same vintages.
@CObrent @mwfielder
Congrats!!!
X4 2015 Nat Geo BdB
X4 2015 PN North Block
X4 2015 Chard Rued Clone
Thanks for all the upgrades!
@Rodrigo76 Wow.
@Rodrigo76
WORKER BEES! HERCULES! TURKEY GREASE! AWESOME!
2014 Wedding Cuvée
Tasting Notes
By nose: raspberry, mandarin orange peel and nutmeg. In the mouth stone fruit, pink grapefruit, Tahitian lime, blood orange, raspberry with a gentle mouthfeel.
A food friendly wine that works with most styles, sauces and preparations. Pairs well with full flavored fish, pork chops, and chicken. Also try with crispy kale and stir fried vegetables. All you really need is dark, bittersweet chocolate!
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
This is Iron Horse’s most romantic bubbly. We describe the 2014 Wedding Cuvée as dangerously easy to drink. Pretty pink in color and capped off with a pure mousse, this fruit forward, elegantly dry bubbly, displays ultra tiny bubbles and an exceedingly long finish.
Specs
2014 Classic Vintage Brut
Tasting Notes
By nose - rising dough, orange marmalade and baked apple. By mouth - ripe red apple, mandarin orange and hazelnut.
A perfect wine with poached eggs, smoked salmon and toast, salade Nicoise, hard cheeses, classic roast chicken with Yukon gold potatoes, harvest pear crisp with candied ginger.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Classic Vintage Brut is considered the “flagship” of the Iron Horse bubblies as it shows everything the family strives to accomplish, striking memory bells that say “champagne” in quality and finesse, but with flavors that are unmistakably Sonoma County, Russian River, Green Valley and most distinctly Iron Horse.
Specs
2015 Estate Chardonnay, Green Valley
Tasting Notes
By nose: great complexity with touches of pineapple, melon, green apple, kiwi, and yeast. By mouth: minerality, pineapple, lime, and a gentle mouth feel (a result of extensive batonnage).
Our Estate Chardonnay is a classic food wine. Try it with roasted cauliflower and cannellini bean salad, thyme - roasted chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a salad of baby greens, smoky ham and corn chowder. Salmon rillettes on buttered brioche would be a perfect hors d’oeuvre.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Estate Chardonnay is signature cool climate, foggy Green Valley in an exceptional vintage. It represents seven individual blocks on the estate giving it wonderful complexity with a silky texture.
Specs
2013 Estate Pinot Noir, Green Valley
Tasting Notes
By nose: cassis, licorice, blackberry, red cherry, raspberry and roasting herbs. By mouth: cola nut, dark cherry, blackberry and dried herbs.
This is an elegant and very versatile wine with food. It is delicious with salmon, smoked duck, pork tenderloin with rashers of prosciutto ham, heirloom carrots and spaghetti squash, classic coq au vin, mushroom ragout on sourdough toast, triple creme cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.
Vineyard and Winemaker Notes
2013 was an outstanding vintage - both in quality and quantity. Newly replanted vineyards, heightened wine making and the uniqueness of Green Valley Pinot Noir all come together in a truly gorgeous bottle of wine with raspberry, red cherry flavors, a very pretty, soft, ripe entry and a long silky finish.
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$538.69/case (including shipping) at Iron Horse Vineyards
About The Winery
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, February 22nd - Tuesday, February 26th
Yay!!! Autobuy! What took so long?
@mtb002 joy is one tough negotiator.
@Winedavid49
Way to wear her down. Hopefully you can appeal to the angels of her better nature more than once a year going forward. Iron Horse is my favorite. I’ve been hanging on to my Commanders Palace bubbly, I was hoping to be able to pop it for a NO Super Bowl win, stupid refs.
I wish there was a way to just get the 2 sparklings. I love the Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee. One of my favorite Iron Horse wines. And a great engagement gift for people.
@reesai ha - I have so much sparkling I wish I could just get the still wines. (If you are in DFW perhaps we can make a deal!)
Great to see Joy and Co. Make an appearance.
/giphy reliant-crappy-thing
/giphy dastardly-lacking-rainstorm
Ya think’?
.
I’m on it. Stand by.
@Winedavid49 Thank you. BTW, anyone care to guess what piece they’re playing? Not Verde’s anvil chorus, 'cause that’s not an anvil.
@davirom Mahler’s 6th? https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/why-a-huge-mallet-takes-centre-stage-in-gustav-mahlers-symphony-no-6-a6725856.html
@Winedavid49
I dont know what they’re playing, but I love that the ? French horn player knows enough to plug his ear while the ?basson/bass clarinet is jumping out of his seat.
We absolutely were holding off due to all the 2018 stockpiling. And I held out a whole day… good enough, right? (and looking forward to a truck tour at Iron Horse still).
/giphy zany-retro-chimpanzee
Darn, 4 bottle boxes sold out. After BD 10 I can’t justify a case, guess I waited too long!
@catcoland
Seems so, just went to grab some as well, since I mostly survived BD.
case contents:
four (4) Wedding Cuvee
three (3) Chardonnay
two (2) Pinot Noir
2015 Ocean Reserve Blanc de Noir
2015 North Black Pinot Noir
2014 Classic Vintage Brut
I have no idea how these extras stack up, but they did take care of those who bought a case.
@gillisr Can’t find the North Black Pinot on the web site. Ocean Reserve is equal value to the Wedding Cuvee, Classic Brut is an upgrade.
@gillisr
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/iron-horse-2015-home-block-pinot-noir-green-valley/
@karenhynes Thanks for the link. However, the label actually says North Block, not Home Block. I tried to upload a picture of it but couldn’t get the syntax to work. Sorry.
@karenhynes I found the link: https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/iron-horse-2015-north-block-pinot-noir-green-valley/
@gillisr
Ooops, I pasted the wrong one.
@gillisr
The Classic Brut was supposed to be part of the base mix but has mostly been subbed for with the Ocean Reserve (at least in these early reports). There were two upgrades in your case - the Ocean Reserve and the North Block Pinot. Also, for some reason a third Estate Pinot was missing and there was an extra Wedding Cuvee instead, pretty much an even swap between those two.
@chipgreen Thanks. Now, in the light of day, I see that there are 3 2014 Wedding Cuvee and 2 Classic Brut. Believe it or not, I just ordered new glasses on Wednesday. They would have helped
Four pack contents:
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
2014 Classic Brut
2014 Brut “X” (sub for the Wedding Cuvee)
Love the Brut “X”, of which we were out- so glad to see it. The funny part was, I was looking forward to trying the Wedding Cuvee, which we haven’t ever had. (Joy, you got the next offer planned yet?
)
@benguin986 That’s my 4 as well. Never had any of them but the positive comments made me pine for the Wedding Cuvée. So now I’ll look forward to the BrutX.
Case contents:
X4 2015 Nat Geo BdB
X4 2015 PN North Block
X4 2015 Chard Rued Clone
Got nice upgrades on the Chard! Thanks Joy and Co! One of my casemates wants to buy some PN, any idea how to value the bottle?
Edited because I have had a BdB before, don’t know how I forgot.
@mtb002
Now that I’ve seen the link to the PN above, I see that I really hit the jackpot! Wow, you guys, thank you so much! I have never been treated so well in one of these “surprise” cases, and I want to tell you how much that means to me. Having a bit of a rough time right now, so will save it for when things get better to celebrate. I have a rule, 1 glass when sad/mad, 2-3 if happy/celebrating.
@mtb002
Whoa! A full case of upgrades! Congrats!
2x estate chard
2x estate PN
1x ocean reserve 15
1x wedding cuvée 14
1x classic vintage brut 14
1x Brut X 14
@kray05 same 8-pack
2015 Estate Chardonnay
2013 Estate Pinot Noir
2014 Classic Brut
2014 Brut “X”
@Winedavid49
Case contents:
3x Pinot Noir Estate
3x Chardonnay Estate
3x Classic Brut
2x Wedding Cuvee
1x Brut X
Seriously?
@chipgreen That appears to be a packing error. i’ll get you an upgraded bottle.
@Winedavid49
Thank you, I appreciate it!
@Winedavid49
Just checking if I need to contact CS for this or is it already handled? Thanks!
@chipgreen yea, i’m on it.
@Winedavid49
Received notice yesterday that I missed an unexpected delivery and assumed it was this bottle. Turned out to be a Lab Rat opportunity instead, which I surely appreciate but am still hoping that the missing IH upgrade has not been forgotten?
i’m working on replacements. honest. you will see some movement this week. thanks.
@Winedavid49
Received, much thanks for the extra bonus QPR Select!
@chipgreen @Winedavid49
That was awesome. Thank you. Much appreciated!!
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
By the ph,I suspect the pinot is the only one my household would like, though bubbly never goes amiss. How does this cuvee compare to the fizzy Anne Aimee or gruet from prior deals? Especially regarding the tartness and acidity.
@Jamileigh17 definitely more complex than Gruet. While I’ve not had these vintages, the ones I’ve had we’re more yeasty and tart and just “better”, albeit at nearly three times the price.
@Jamileigh17 The Gruet is a decent bubbly. Iron Horse will knock your socks off in comparison! There is not an Iron Horse bubbly or still-wine that I do not like. Always consistent. They make some of the best bubblies around with a lot more finesse than the before mentioned bubbly. These are well-made, well-balanced, brut wines. We have a lot of Iron Horse in our cellar and are members of their wine club.
We just had a bottle of the '14 Estate Chardonnay. It was lovely with a nice minerality and long finish. I absolutely LOVE the pinots from Iron Horse, specifically the Thomas Road or Deer Gate (not available here). When we want to buy a special pinot/drink a special pinot, we go for one of these. The Estate pinot is solid. It comes from a young vineyard. IIRC, this vineyard was planted new around 2000. We saw the new plantings while on an RPM Tour.
I see upgrades are available! I wonder to what? Bubbly or still?
@bahwm @Jamileigh17 Actually, that Estate vineyard was planted just before the first rpm tour in 2008.
Great to see here. Wish we had room for a case!
/giphy oval-absorbing-wave
@sndg There’s always room for Iron Horse!
@bahwm We can’t imagine not having some in the house. We still have our coupon for a tractor tour of the vineyard from a random case purchase at that other site; we hope to get out there soon-ish!
@sndg Soon-ish would be good. You want to get there before David Munksgard retires. Don’t know how soon that might be, but they do have an assistant winemaker working there already, and whether or not she’s willing to continue the truck tour, she won’t have the knowledge/experience that David has, after being there 20+ years. @bahwm went on the tour with him in the summer of 2017, and it was a terrific experience, one not to be missed.
@bahwm @sndg Oops. I was on that tour, too.
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @sndg
I can confirm the truck tour is amazing. My wife and I did it on our first wedding anniversary, learned a lot, David is an great wine maker and a fantastic person!
@bahwm @ddeuddeg @knlprez Thanks for the confirmation that the tour is great. Now we just need to make our way over to the other coast!
autobuy!
/giphy hapless-overrated-stranger
/giphy bouncy-zealous-station
/giphy enticing-lavender-instrument
@davirom I tried to delete that image but apparently waited too long. If a moderator could delete it, I wouldn’t mind.
Anybody get their delivery yet? mine comes in this evening, curious about people’s upgrades
@kray05 picked mine up. Forgot about the upgrades and haven’t even opened the box yet. Guess I should.
@kray05
Mine won’t be delivered until tomorrow.
@karenhynes @kray05 @rjquillin and so starts the envy by those of us who didn’t buy…
@karenhynes @kray05 @radiolysis
Made me look you did.
Still:
13 Estate PN
15 Estate Chard
Bubbles:
15 Wedding
15 Ocean BdB
Two upgrades in a 4 pack.
I’m good with that.
@karenhynes @kray05 @radiolysis @rjquillin 4 pack contains 13 PN, 15 Chard, 14 WC, & 15 Ocean BdB
@rjquillin
Really only 1 upgrade unless you consider the vintage swap (2015 instead of 2014) on the Wedding Cuvee to be an upgrade.
@chipgreen Well, they were all bottles I didn’t already have; that’s a +.
@davirom @karenhynes @kray05 @radiolysis @rjquillin got the same as davirom. Would’ve preferred the Brut over the Ocean Reserve but I guess it is technically an upgrade. Fair value but nothing screaming - good juice nonetheless.
Just got home from a trip and opened my box:
@Winedavid49
2x Chardonnay estate
1x Pinot noir estate
1x classic brut
Weren’t there supposed to be 2 bubblies, 1 chard, and an upgrade?
I don’t even like Chardonnay. I got this for the bubbles. My intro on WW to the 2005 Wedding Cuvee and I was hooked.
@chefjess this appears to be a packing error. pls contact support. we’ll make it right.
@Winedavid49
Thank you. Much appreciated.
@chefjess
Did you receive your replacement bottle yet?
@chipgreen
I have not. The last message I received was from CS about a week ago telling me they were checking to see if they had replacements in shippable condition. Haven’t heard a peep since then.
Have you received yours?
Popped a bottle of the Rued Clone Chardonnay for my birthday, and oh my. That is the best balanced Chard I’ve ever had. I’ll be needing more of that in future, please and thank you, Joy!