Iron Horse Vineyards

Iron Horse takes its name from a 19th-century railroad stop that once crossed the property, a history that lends the estate an air of deep California roots. The site was rediscovered as a vineyard in 1970 by Rodney Strong, who hired a young Forrest Tancer to plant the original 110 acres, split evenly into 55 acres of Chardonnay and 55 acres of Pinot Noir. At the time it was the westernmost vineyard in Sonoma County, planted into a cool, fog-influenced corner of the Green Valley that conventional wisdom considered too risky for fine wine. Audrey and Barry Sterling first saw the property in the pouring rain of February 1976 and bought it within two weeks. Tancer subsequently became their partner and winemaker, and the three set about building one of California's first serious estate sparkling wine programs. A Chardonnay was bottled for the first vintage in 1978, and the winery officially opened in 1979 on Barry Sterling's 50th birthday. The estate's reputation crossed into international consciousness in 1985 when a 1982 Iron Horse Blanc de Blancs was poured at the Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit, launching a tradition of White House service that has continued through seven consecutive presidential administrations.

• Site named after a 19th-century railroad stop in the Green Valley of Sonoma
• 110 original acres (55 Chardonnay, 55 Pinot Noir) planted by Forrest Tancer for Rodney Strong in 1970
• Audrey and Barry Sterling purchased the property in February 1976
• First Chardonnay vintage bottled 1978; winery officially opened 1979 on Barry's 50th birthday
• Sparkling wines first poured at the White House during the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit

The Sterling family has maintained continuous ownership of Iron Horse since 1976, and today three generations live on the 260-acre estate. The second generation is firmly in command: Joy Sterling serves as CEO while her brother Laurence Sterling is Director of Operations, guiding the property through its 50th anniversary decade. Forrest Tancer, the original planter and longtime partner, ran the cellar alongside the Sterlings for decades and married Joy Sterling in 1990 before retiring from the winery in 2005. David Munksgard joined Iron Horse in 1996 and shepherded nearly three decades of vintages, with his 30th vintage at the estate falling in 2026, at which point he transitioned to Winemaker Emeritus. Megan Hill has joined as the new Assistant Winemaker, representing the next chapter in the cellar leadership. Joy Sterling's influence extends well beyond wine production: in March 2026 she received the CENIC AIR Award for Pioneering Contributions Advancing Networking and AI, reflecting the family's engagement with technology and sustainability.

• Joy Sterling (CEO) and Laurence Sterling (Director of Operations) lead second-generation management
• Founding partner Forrest Tancer retired from the winery in 2005
• David Munksgard joined in 1996 and is Winemaker Emeritus; Megan Hill is the new Assistant Winemaker
• Three generations of the Sterling family reside on the property
• 2026 marks the estate's 50th anniversary, celebrated as the Year of the Horse

Iron Horse farms 260 acres entirely within the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley AVA, one of California's coolest and foggiest growing environments. Every acre sits on Gold Ridge soil, the distinctive sandy, well-drained loam prized for producing wines of delicacy and precision. The estate is rigorously self-sufficient, using only its own grapes for every wine with no purchased fruit. A substantial 82-acre replanting program has introduced a new generation of small-block, single-clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plantings, enabling sharper vineyard expression across the portfolio. The current lineup includes six distinct Chardonnay expressions and eight single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, alongside a multi-vintage sparkling wine program. The estate also runs a nine-year creek restoration project on Green Valley Creek aimed at restoring salmon habitat, and in December 2024 launched the Iron Horse Testbed, deploying in-vineyard sensors across blocks to advance precision viticulture and sustainability practices.

• 260 acres entirely within Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA, all on Gold Ridge soil
• Strictly estate-grown; all wines made exclusively from own fruit with no purchased grapes
• 82-acre replanting program delivering small-block, single-clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blocks
• Six Chardonnay expressions and eight single-vineyard Pinot Noirs in the current portfolio
• Nine-year Green Valley Creek restoration project and Iron Horse Testbed sensor program launched December 2024

Iron Horse has positioned itself as California's leading estate sparkling wine specialist, with more than half of its nearly 30,000 annual cases dedicated to sparkling production. The cool Green Valley climate, moderated by Pacific fog and marine influence, provides the slow, even ripening essential for building the natural acidity that underpins great sparkling wine. All sparkling wines are estate-grown, reflecting the house's commitment to single-source terroir expression in a category dominated elsewhere by blended multi-origin fruit. The portfolio spans classic vintage brut to single-varietal expressions such as the Blanc de Blancs, alongside the Wedding Cuvee (a Pinot Noir-led blend that is one of the house's most recognized wines), the Brut Rose, the Russian Cuvee, and commemorative releases including the Spirit of '76 produced for the estate's 50th anniversary. The still wine program covers six Chardonnays and eight single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from named estate blocks, offering a granular view of Green Valley's block-by-block variation.

• Close to 30,000 cases produced annually, with more than half dedicated to sparkling wine
• All sparkling wines 100% estate-grown, relying on Green Valley's fog-cooled climate for natural acidity
• Portfolio includes Classic Vintage Brut, Wedding Cuvee, Brut Rose, Russian Cuvee, and the 50th anniversary Spirit of '76
• Wedding Cuvee is a Pinot Noir-led blend (approximately 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay)
• Still wine program covers six Chardonnays and eight single-vineyard Pinot Noirs

Iron Horse occupies a singular position in American wine: it is the estate that placed California sparkling wine on the world stage, doing so at the highest diplomatic level when a 1982 Blanc de Blancs was chosen for the Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit in 1985. That relationship with the White House has continued across seven consecutive presidential administrations, a record no other American producer can claim. Beyond its political symbolism, the estate represents one of the most rigorous expressions of the estate-grown, single-AVA sparkling wine ideal in California, proving that the Green Valley's extreme cool-climate conditions can yield sparkling wines of genuine complexity and longevity. The family's investment in sustainability, from the nine-year Green Valley Creek restoration to sensor-driven precision viticulture, signals that the estate is building for another fifty years with the same seriousness of purpose that defined its founding generation.

• Sparkling wines served at seven consecutive presidential administrations since the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit
• Demonstrates California can produce world-class, 100% estate-grown sparkling wine from a single cool-climate AVA
• Long-term environmental programs include creek restoration for salmon habitat and the Iron Horse Testbed precision viticulture project
• 50th anniversary in 2026 underscores a multi-generational commitment to the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley