WINE PRESS Iron Horse Vineyards & Vina Robles Gold Medal Wine Club Newsletter: Vol. 19 No. 6 rom an Iconic American Winery to a Swiss Influenced, old Fworld Inspired Estate, Iron Horse and Vina Robles Create alluring, vineyard-driven wines in top California Regions. Iron Horse’s portfolio of still and sparkling wines lands it among the top of Sonoma’s most historical and celebrated wineries. Vina Robles showcases its estate-grown, award-winning portfolio of Paso Robles wines at its stunning Hospitality Center. Iron Horse Vineyards’ sought-after fruit is hand selected from Sonoma County’s celebrated Green Valley appellation. GOLD MEDAL WINE CLUB - AMERICA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT WINE CLUB SINCE 1992 2005 ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2005 CABERNET SAUVIGNON Iron Horse Vineyards’ 2005 Estate Chardonnay Elegant, well balanced, and juicy, the Vina was produced from the winery’s estate vineyards 2005 VINTAGE: 2005 VINTAGE: Robles 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon was in Sonoma County’s Green Valley appellation. 4 STARS – RESTAURANT WINE ONLINE, produced from Paso Robles’ Huerhuero Iron Horse Chardonnays have a bright, 93 POINTS – WINE & SPIRITS, Vineyard on the east side of the distinctive quality that the winery 90 POINTS – WINE ENTHUSIAST BEST BUY – SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, expansive Central Coast appellation. continues to deliver with each RECOMMENDED & 3 STARS – Awarded 4 Stars by Restaurant Wine celebrated vintage and the 2005 Estate Online and named a Best Buy with Chardonnay follows a procession of LEGACY: IRON HORSE ESTATE DECANTER MAGAZINE 88 Points by Robert Whitely of Wine six consecutive vintages garnering CHARDONNAYS HAVE GARNERED 90+ Talk at San Diego Union Tribune, this 90+ point ratings in Wine Enthusiast. Cabernet Sauvignon is very characteristic VINA ROBLES’ Named one of Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 SCORES FROM WINE ENTHUSIAST FOR LEGACY: of Paso Robles, showing lovely soft red Wineries of the Year an astounding 6 CONSECUTIVE VINTAGES! CABERNETS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT fruit and an alluring floral characteristic nine times lands Iron Horse in the MULTI-AWARD WINNERS SINCE THE with impressive potential to age magazine’s Hall of Fame and makes it one of well. Vina Robles’ 2005 Cabernet is also the major iconic wineries of Sonoma County. 2002 VINTAGE – WHICH WAS THE Recommended with 3 Stars from Decanter The 2005 Estate Chardonnay was served at the FIRST SENT OUT FOR REVIEW. magazine. Deep dark, bright garnet in color, Governor’s Ball of the Golden Globe Awards this wine has an intense bouquet of dark sweet and is the recipient of 93 Points from Wine & fruits with dominating senses of blackberry and Spirits and 90 Points from Wine Enthusiast. Iron blueberry, complimented by notes of tobacco Horse successfully adds layers of complexity to and toasty oak. This is a supple, full-bodied, their Estate Chardonnay by keeping the oak rich flavored Cabernet Sauvignon that has beautifully integrated in the wine while refraining intense fruitiness of blueberry and dark fruits, from malolactic fermentation. On the nose, Just the facts: Just the facts: light oakiness, bright tannins and excellent aromas of grilled bananas and pears with light balance, with a medium finish. Try pairing the citrus and almond notes lead into a luscious pH . 3.14 pH . 3.47 Vina Robles 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with mouthful of green apples, pears and marmalade Alcohol . 14.1% Alcohol . 14.0% flank steak, braised beef, and pasta with on the finish. A delicious wine to pair with Total Acid. 0.67 g/100 mls mushrooms and caramelized onions. Aged 19 Total Acid. 0.85 g/100 mls food, we recommend corn soup, halibut, Cases Produced . 3,661 months in oak. 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, goat cheese and lemon roasted chicken. Drink Now or Up to Year. 2010 Drink Now or Up to Year. 2015 23% Petit Verdot. Enjoy now until 2015. 100% Chardonnay. Enjoy now until 2010. ron Horse ina Robles In 1976, when founders Barry and Audrey Sterling first visited the property that was to become In any business, when a number of Swiss get together, the result is usually a most precise, Iron Horse Vineyards, they were convinced they were lost. It was driving rain when they crested the well-organized and highly competitive entity. Such is the case with this month’s Gold Series selection, knoll on Ross Station Road and saw the 350-acres of gently rolling hills and trees. Within two weeks, Paso Robles-based Vina Robles, a Central Coast winery that is already turning heads despite the fact the couple bought the property and began to create what has become an iconic Russian River winery called Iron is it only ten years old. Horse Vineyards. Vina Robles is the product of an association between a pair of Swiss businessmen, Hans Nef and Hans Michel Sterling was 50 at the time, and an accomplished lawyer and international lover of food and wine. His career (pronounced Mikel) that developed as a result of the pair’s long-term association in agricultural-related business Ihad taken him to both France and England, where he had learned to appreciate the intricacies and correlations of Vendeavors. Growing up in a rural village just outside Zurich, Switzerland, Vina Robles’ majority owner Nef learned food and wine. Back home in his native Los Angeles, Barry and Audrey dreamed of owning vineyards and land in to appreciate his rural surroundings and the incredible blessings that agriculture provided those who worked the Northern California. land. He earned a degree in civil engineering and eventually formed his own civil engineering consultancy and Iron Horse Vineyards derived it name from an old railroad engine that used to stop at nearby Ross Station. The management firm and undertook a number of major engineering projects in and around Zurich. continued on page 4 continued on page 5 Page 2 Page 3 Iron Horse, continued from page 2 Vina Robles, continued from page 3 distinctive label depiction of a rampant to Joy Sterling, “as it allows Iron Horse In the early 1990s, Nef spread his became acquainted with the emerging hospitality center recently opened on horse on a weathervane came from to fulfill our own destiny.” As an operations to an international level Central Coast wine region and, in Highway 46 East in Paso Robles. It sits an actual old weathervane that was explanation, Sterling said that certain when he acquired two prime agricultural particular, the area around Paso Robles. nearby Vina Robles’ three existing discovered on the property during goals have been set with regards to properties in Arkansas. It was there Taken by the natural beauty of the vineyards and boasts a unique balance one of the renovations Iron Horse quality, and that the winery is in a rugged farmland area and of modern luxury and old world has celebrated. new phase of internal development the incredible friendly charm. A future phase will include a The company’s first release of an that will allow it to reach the upper As“ individuals, the principles of attitude of the people he full-service inn to accommodate estate Pinot Noir occurred in 1979, levels of wine excellence they believe Vina Robles are rooted in the Old met there, he decided to visitors from around the world. and the winery grew quickly to around their property capable of producing. expand his American Nef and Michel both credit their The Iron Horse concept is to 20,000 cases of annual production. For At this time, Iron Horse produces World. As winemakers, agricultural holdings by success to a number of key factors, make estate bottled wines that the recent past, Iron Horse has bottled about 80% estate varietals and the purchasing three distinct including their Swiss winemaker, approximately 30,000 cases and other 20% is sparkling wine. The tracts of land around Matthias Gubler, who has carefully show a definite “sense of place” we are inspired by the New expects to remain at that level, “for winery expects to continue at that Paso Robles with the sole orchestrated all of the growth associated through precision winegrowing. the foreseeable future,” according to ratio for a number of years in the World. But both worlds purpose of establishing with Vina Robles. Brought aboard in CEO Joy Sterling. future. Iron Horse has recently under- bring value to what we do, and premium estate vineyards. 1999, Gubler brought an incredible A unique aspect of Iron Horse is gone a “massive” replanting, which These three vineyards continued on page 10 the fact that it began producing began in 2005 and, in the words of Joy we endeavor to capture this are the foundation sparkling wines almost as early (1980) Sterling, “Iron Horse is actually part of acreage of today’s Vina About The Winemaker as it has high quality varietals. These a never ending program of replanting. distinction in our wines.” Robles Winery. About The Winemaker wines have been particularly successful When you finally get the first vines “I want Vina Robles Winemaker at Iron Horse since for Iron Horse and that Hans Nef came into contact to express a unique blend of European As a boy, Matthias Gubler 1996, David Munksgard possesses have been featured by All“ this makes Iron Horse a with fellow Swiss expatriate Hans heritage and American opportunity,” worked on his family’s Pinot Noir a BA in Enology from Cal State the past four presidents Michel whose company was actually remarked Nef. “As individuals, the vineyard in Switzerland. He studied University Fresno. Munksgard has at the White House. truly family-oriented business. charged with operating the Arkansas principles of Vina Robles are rooted in Enology at Wadenswil and came to also worked at nearby Chateau Starting with the properties. the Old World.