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My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 12/2/2008
(search item no. 92268)
Wine & Spirits rating: 93 points
Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points
PRICE ON 12/2/2008: $26.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2006 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 91 points
2002 Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points
2001 Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points
2000 Wine Enthusiast rating: 92 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 86 points
1998 Wine Enthusiast rating: 88 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 2005 is the quintessential Green Valley vintage. It beautifully expresses the bright, focused, clean, sweet-tart flavors of cool, foggy Green Valley. It is beautifully balanced, imparting a delightful "leesy", toasty, perfectly integrated barrel character that doesn't overwhelm the fruit. The texture is soft, smooth, silky and sensuous. The finish, long and lingering.

Food pairings: Enjoy with corn soup, rainbow trout, sole, halibut with mushrooms and asparagus, salmon, steamed lobster, lemon roast chicken served with jasmine rice, veal chop, anything with a cream sauce, goat cheese and walnuts.
My Notes:

Additional wines from Iron Horse:

About Iron Horse:

 Iron Horse is a marriage of two vineyards: The Sterling family estate in Sonoma County's cool, foggy Green Valley and son-in-law Forrest Tancer's T-bar T Ranch in the Alexander Valley. The winery is best known for its sparkling wines, which have been served at the White House since 1985, beginning with the histroric US - Russian Summit Meetings, and at the White House millenium celebrations.

Half of Iron Horse's production is in still wines made from both the "home vineyard" in Green Valley where the winery stands, and from the T-bar-T vineyard in Alexander Valley, which on any given day can be ten degrees warmer.

At Iron Horse proper, there is an unusual, fine, sandy soil type called Gold Ridge, which is coveted for its excellent drainage and its extraordinary mineral balance, which directly contributes to wine quality. It is part of the reason why Iron Horse Chardonnays are so bright and distinctive and why their Pinot Noirs have a particular berry flavor.