Holiday Greetings from Iron Horse Vineyards 2009

Click on the following link to view a YouTube video greeting from Iron Horse Vineyards:

Click here to for the Brussels Sprouts recipe featured on the video.

State of the Winery Annual Letter 2009

Dear Friends & Family

It has become my tradition to write an annual state of the winery letter following the President's State of the Union. This year, Barack Obama's Inaugural Address, raises the bar considerably. However, as the man said, "The challenges will be met."

Our vision is to carry on as a prestigious, trusted, estate bottled, family owned, sustainable, dynamic, Green Valley brand. We remain committed to the highest quality - investing in the vineyard, garnering excellent press, actively involved in green initiatives, and perfectly positioned for the times as a trustworthy brand.

The research says consumers are "risk averse" right now and established brands like Iron Horse are selling.

Job #1 for us is the vintage. Iron Horse is first about the wines and achieving excellence.

We are now four years into our replanting program - an absolutely astounding investment. This spring, the two blocks (A & B) leading up to my house will be budded to Chardonnay and we will erect the trellising and install the irrigation in "New Q". I can practically taste the great wines that will result.

Thanks to our winemaker David Munksgard, the accolades are already rolling in. -+ I am delighted to announce the official release of our 2006 Estate Chardonnay. There are just 7,000 cases of this delicious wine to be followed very quickly by two even smaller, also very delicious vintages - '07 and '08.

I highly, highly recommend you treat yourself to our 2007 UnOaked Chardonnay with fresh cracked Dungeness crab. The pairing is so perfect; you don't need condiments and is the epitome of an "affordable indulgence".

The 2007 Estate Pinot Noir is fantastic. Trust me. You are in a foot race with my family and me for this wine, as we are merrily drinking it up. 2007 is a great, great vintage for the Russian River and Green Valley in particular. Only 1800 cases were produced.

I am very excited about Celebrate Earth Day with Green Valley to take place Sunday April 19 - the Sunday prior to official Earth Day. Iron Horse is one of at least five local wineries (Marimar Estate, Dutton Goldfield, DeLoach and Hartford Family Winery) that have already committed to hosting an informal, come and go as you please, no charge, wine tasting and food pairing from 11am to 2pm. At our venue, we are planning to have an eco-art show, focused on recycled materials, roving musicians and a small farmer's market, displaying the exceptional quality of this unique AVA that we are lucky enough to call home.

A great point of pride is the growing number of wineries who now brag about sourcing grapes from Green Valley. Jordan cites Green Valley as a core quality element in their Chardonnay. DeLoach, DuMol, Gary Farrell, Lynmar, Martinelli, Patz & Hall, Paul Hobbs have Green Valley bottlings. Hess is releasing a Green Valley Pinot Noir.

My parents bought Iron Horse 33 years ago in February. 2009 will mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of our winery, officially on my father's birthday, October 25. We are planning on producing a limited edition commemorative jeroboam and hosting a series of events beginning in August.

Most exciting is that my niece Justine represents the third generation to become involved with Iron Horse. She will be writing a blog on our website with news items about restaurants and retailers that carry Iron Horse, covering their special events, great pairings, and all the other terrific experiences a young woman in wine can have in New York City.

Our history and prestige are very valuable assets in a tough economy. I have been reading history books and business articles comparing today's economy with the Great Depression. It sounds like it would be discouraging, but you know what they say: those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

I am most interested in stories about people and companies who succeeded during the depression. I want to learn as much as I can about them - what they did, how they thought.

My conclusions thus far are to avoid negativity (it shuts down creativity), stay focused, continue to promote the brand, and take no friendship for granted.

To that end, we are planning to stick with the fundamentals of pulling samples, presenting the wines and following up with staff trainings and in-store tastings.

For me, the most important goal is ensuring our distribution. Tried and true brands like Iron Horse can and should be able to hold our own in this environment. The key is maintaining market share.

My big goal for 2009 is re-affirming our relationship with you personally ... preferably here at our home place. Looking out from the winery at our view is all you need to know why I am so motivated.

Please let me know when you are coming to visit.

With all my thanks, as always,

joy@ironhorsevineyards.com