In recognition of Presidents’ Day, we thought it timely to talk about Iron Horse Vineyards, whose wines have been served by every presidential administration in the White House since 1985, the year when then-President Ronald Reagan brought its sparkling wines to his historic summit meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland.  But while this winery’s connections to Washington, D.C. distinguish it from other California wineries, there’s a lot more to Iron Horse than just politics.

Iron Horse is located in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, or the RRV, which is trendy on the California wine scene due to the high quality Pinot Noir being produced there.  Aside from the Pinot, what’s great about the RRV is that when you’re there you get the sense that you’re catching a glimpse of old, genuine California wine country, the way it used to be before Napa went mainstream.  The best part?  The RRV still seems like a secret.

Iron Horse exemplifies the typical RRV winery.  For example, the tasting room is outdoors, and it is located at the end of a long, dirt driveway studded with palm trees.  The tasting room consists of a bar made from barrels lined up in a row and topped with wooden planks, and when you’re sampling wines there, all you need to do is just turn around to enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding rolling hills.  Finally, if you don’t want to finish your glass but you don’t see a bucket, fear not: just dump it onto the gravel at your feet.     

This is California wine tasting without pretension and, in our view, wine country at its best.

www.IronHorseVineyards.com
9786 Ross Station Road
Sebastopol, California 95472
(707) 887-1507