Iron Horse Wine Tasting
One of the nice things about living in Walnut Creek is that we are only an hour and a half away from Sonoma and Russian River Valley. Iron Horse Vineyards is technically in Green Valley, right next to the Russian River Valley and sits on a nice open field with view of their vineyards and hills. Since I am a sucker for sparkling wines, I was curious to try this winery and decided to check it out on Saturday. So we drove up early in the morning and arrived the winery at around 11am. It’s always nice to get the first tasting before lunch when your palates are still fresh.
We were quickly welcomed with a small flute of bubbly, their 2020 Winter’s Cuvee, as we checked in with the host by a booth in a tent. The wine bar is open to the outdoors and there are lots of seating outside. The whole ambience is very relaxed and casual, like you are going to a family outdoor summer party or BBQ. There is room for large groups but also seating for smaller groups or couples like us. Like many days here, this was another beautiful sunny 65 F day in the Bay Area.
The Tasting
As for the tasting, we tried quite a variety of wines from their classic known sparkling wines to a sparkling rose, Chardonnays, and a couple of Pinot Noirs. It’s a pretty good selection and perfect to have a nice cold glass of bubbly on a sunny day. Tasting here is $35 per person and we each tasted 6-8 wines.
Here are some of my tasting notes and Vivino review:
Brut Rose 2020 - Fragrant strawberries and citrus notes on the nose, light tannin but a bit of a flat finish
Brut X 2021 - This is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, it’s clean, mineral, and has a light honey nose
Estate Chardonnay 2020 - Not my favorite, has a bit of a barnyard smell, buttery and slight bitter finish
Year of the Snake 2021 - this is 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine, was okay. Nice floral notes, clean, crisp with a grapefruit finish
Deer Gate Pinot Noir 2020 - A bright light ruby Pinot with a classic nose of cranberries, forest floor, and light tannins
Classic Vintage Brut 2020 - A classic brut with a nose of honey, white flowers and toasted nuts, good pairing with oysters
Wedding Cuvee 2019 - This being a wedding bubbly has a slight blush color with a nose of white flowers and lavender. Perfect for the occasion indeed.
Iron Horse Outdoor Wine Bar
Rustic style wine bar that opens to the outdoors overlooking a beautiful view of the vineyards. It’s the perfect setting for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon to enjoy over a few glasses of wine. Looking over on either side, we see another couple with a toddler enjoying the day with this breathtaking view - who can resist? Another group of friends are enjoying their wines with sandwiches they bought for a lunch time tasting, also another great venue to have lunch.
A Perfect Lunch Spot
Coincidently, we found this little gem for lunch in Forestville called Canneti Roadhouse. It’s a charming little joint with loads of character, the restaurant has a collection of old bikes and offers up a classic Italian fare. The open kitchen is right next to the dining area so you can actually see the chef in action, and he is a one-man show.
We loved how authentic his food was - it was well-prepared and tasty. We had a salad and classic carbonara, and they were both very good and pleasantly surprised by the balance of flavors the chef created in each dish. Both very rusticly presented. We took a peak at their dinner menu and were tempted to come back for dinner if we did not already have other plans that evening. Definitely a pity but would save for next time to come back to.
For a day or weekend trip, this was really quite perfect. Visiting a winery like Iron Horse and spending the day there or exploring other wineries in the area, one just cannot go wrong. That evening we caught one of the Candlelight performances in the Sonoma theatre and was a perfect way to end the day. Till the next trip to Sonoma!
