February weather in the vineyards runs the gamut—from atmospheric rivers to frost-glazed mornings, back to storms, and then, finally, to a moment of quiet beauty—which is where we find ourselves now, thankfully.
This is typically our wettest month, but this year has been extraordinary. How it will shape the vintage—the literal taste of the wine—remains to be seen, but we know we’ll experience it in the wines to come. This is what defines a vintage: the beginning of a story that will one day be told in your glass. And on an estate vineyard like Iron Horse, every vintage is a true reflection of its seasons.
Now that the rainstorms have passed, Iron Horse is saturated with a quiet beauty. The cover crops glow bright green between the rows, the contours of the hills etched against shifting gray skies, and the air crisp and fresh, carrying the sweet scent of damp earth.
The vines rest, the soil replenishes, and the work continues. Some blocks are neatly pruned, while others wait their turn as conditions permit with the deadline of budbreak approaching.
Stripped to their essentials, the vines stand like individual sculptures – each with its own character, quietly conserving energy for the season ahead. With the hills laid bare, you can appreciate the lay of the land and how a single estate can produce so many diverse flavors, shaped by aspect, slope and how the fog settles.
The sky remains soft and gray, holding onto winter. Then, the sun occasionally breaks through, casting a warm, golden glow over the vineyards, a fleeting shimmer that sparks an irrepressible smile.
In the tasting room, nestled at the heart of the estate, guests gather, sipping Sparkling Wines that capture the essence of this special place. Even in the quiet of winter, there’s a sense of celebration – a time to drink beautifully, embrace the moment, and savor the beauty around us.
Inside the winery, we’re in the rhythm of blending, bottling, tasting, and fine-tuning—getting ready to share the next expressions of Iron Horse. Here, too, is the nexus of our optimism — a mix of gratitude for the great quality of the past harvest and anticipation for the resulting wines.
February’s storms put us to the test, but our Gold Ridge soil—a sandy clay loam—drains quickly, and with most of our vineyards on hillsides, the rain naturally sheds into the floodplain, where our reservoir now brims to the top. The quirk of our terrain is that the floodplain is also our entrance. Those who have visited know that our stretch of tiny Green Valley Creek can swell into a full-blown river, turning the road into an impromptu waterway.
You can gauge the speed of the water by watching the ducks get swept along in the current, rushing toward the Russian River. The flooding certainly tests the mettle of our visiting tasters. It’s either take the back roads or grab a kayak. 😉
To everyone who made the trek—thank you! Your adventurous spirit means the world to us. And there’s something about drinking bubbles in the rain that feels a little like kissing the rain—a reminder that nature shapes both the experience and the wine itself.
Winemaker David Munksgard
We often describe wine through metaphor—its fragrance, texture, and the way it makes us feel—all deeply sensual and subjective characteristics. But ultimately, it is rooted in what Mother Nature provides. Each vintage is shaped by both challenge and grace— and by how we, as farmers, meet both. The land reminds us, as it always does, that thriving can never be taken for granted—nor can the privilege of being its stewards.
Resilience is nature’s way. The vines endure, the soil replenishes, and the work carries on. In the winery, blending and bottling move forward, fine-tuning the wines that will soon be shared. The tasting room, always welcoming, remains a place to mark the moment. The storms may come, but they pass, leaving the vineyards ready for our 49th growing season at Iron Horse—just as they always have.
Here’s to blue skies, smooth roads, and many more glasses raised together!
