Iron Horse Sparkling for Mother's Day
$54.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Sparkling
PRODUCTS:
1 2007 Classic Vintage Brut
1 2007 Wedding Cuvee
CT links above

Winery website

One for Mom and one to give the kids so they leave her alone?

In for 2. For me. This stuff is DELICIOUS. I'm not a fan of Bruts, and this Brut is good. But the Cuvee... It. Is. AMAZING. If the Cuvee showed up by the case. I would be at least one case. Do yourself bubble-loving tastebuds a favor. Buy this.
edit: buy*

Anybody in LA or Bay area want to go in to save on shipping? That'd push me over the fence.

It's like the Woot gods read my mind - I bought the Fairytale Iron Horse during the wootoff with Mother's day specifically in mind.

Now this is a quandry - will that make it here in time, or do I buy this in addition.

Or do I just buy this also

dalematthew wrote:It's like the Woot gods read my mind - I bought the Fairytale Iron Horse during the wootoff with Mother's day specifically in mind.

Now this is a quandry - will that make it here in time, or do I buy this in addition.

Or do I just buy this also

ALSO!!!!!


Why take a chance???

How does this compare to the 2006 Brut offered in Dec? Which should I drink first? The 2006 or the 2007 (or should I pop two corks on the same night and invite a few more people over?)...these are good questions to be able to ask!

Iron Horse fizz is great stuff, and well worth it, but I do like some dirty in my Methode Champenoise bubbles. The purer Chards of the Brut, Xtra Brut and even the Russian Cuvee don't quite have enough the dirt of Pinot Meunier or Pinoit Noir for my palate, whereas even Roederer's NV quite delightfully does. So, knowing the Joy of drinking at Iron Horse, and wanting to support them at any point, I love the idea of this Wedding Cuvee. It aims more at a Blanc (Rosé?) de Noirs without being quite as off-dry as the Disney Cuvee. I also like a hint of off-dry in bubbles, as the bubbles make everything taste sharper!

Thing is however, K&L wines in CA sells the wedding cuvee for $25...

In.

I have spent some time with Joy working the market and have always loved their wines. These wines are very well made.

Good wines. But this is not much of a deal. Only the $5 shipping makes it worth it.

rwdavis2 wrote:Good wines. But this is not much of a deal. Only the $5 shipping makes it worth it.

Indeed. Almost forces you to buy 2 or 3.

tempted, but it will cook on its way to Tampa. Almost 90 degrees here.

Is the wedding cuvee the same juice as the fairy tale stuff sold during the woot off? The numbers are identical.

2007 Fairy Tale Celebration Cuvée 2-Pack
* Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
* Blend: 88% Pinot Noir 12% Chardonnay
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Acidity: .78 g/100ml
* Residual Sugar: 0.50 g/100ml
* pH: 3.11
* Malolactic Fermentation: None
* Barrels: None
* Harvest Dates: August 16 - August 31, 2007
* Date Bottled: July 2008
* Release Date: Current disgorging, August 2011
* Total production: 1000 cases

2007 Wedding Cuvée
* Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
* Blend: 88% Pinot Noir 12% Chardonnay
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Acidity: .78 g/100ml
* Residual Sugar: 0.50 g/100ml
* pH: 3.11
* Malolactic Fermentation: None
* Barrels: None
* Harvest Dates: August 16 - August 31, 2007
* Date Bottled: July 2008
* Release Date: Current disgorging, November 2011
* Total Production: 4,775 Cases

sulakdd wrote:

2007 Wedding Cuvée
* Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
* Blend: 88% Pinot Noir 12% Chardonnay
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Acidity: .78 g/100ml
* Residual Sugar: 0.50 g/100ml
* pH: 3.11
* Malolactic Fermentation: None
* Barrels: None
* Harvest Dates: August 16 - August 31, 2007
* Date Bottled: July 2008
* Release Date: Current disgorging, November 2011
* Total Production: 4,775 Cases

This matches the tech-sheet on the website, however, the FairlyTale tech sheet is not listed there. Maybe that one was incorrect?

sulakdd wrote:Is the wedding cuvee the same juice as the fairy tale stuff sold during the woot off? The numbers are identical.

But the '07 Wedding Cuvée is a rosé sparkler, and the Fairy Tale is not.

They make good Pinot and sparklers but this is not a buy since these are easily sourced at the same price or cheaper locally. And from multiple purveyors.

With the weather warming up, how is it possible to prevent temperature abuse during shipping ?

sulakdd wrote:Is the wedding cuvee the same juice as the fairy tale stuff sold during the woot off? The numbers are idntical

Having tasted all three of these, I would rank the Fairy Tale the fruitiest (dare I say sweet?), Wedding is a lovely Brut, yet just a hint less dry than the Classic.

All are Bruts, yet each shows just a slightly different expression of how to make a lovely sparkler. Have fun & discover which one is your favorite. Hard to go wrong with any of them.

I bought all three of these when there in March. Rounded out the 6 pack with 2 Chards & a Pinot. Wonderful Tasting experience & beautiful view.

great bubbles, great deal. From a local.

sulakdd wrote:Is the wedding cuvee the same juice as the fairy tale stuff sold during the woot off? The numbers are identical.

2007 Fairy Tale Celebration Cuvée 2-Pack
* Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
* Blend: 88% Pinot Noir 12% Chardonnay
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Acidity: .78 g/100ml
* Residual Sugar: 0.50 g/100ml
* pH: 3.11
* Malolactic Fermentation: None
* Barrels: None
* Harvest Dates: August 16 - August 31, 2007
* Date Bottled: July 2008
* Release Date: Current disgorging, August 2011
* Total production: 1000 cases

2007 Wedding Cuvée
* Appellation: Green Valley of Russian River Valley
* Blend: 88% Pinot Noir 12% Chardonnay
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Acidity: .78 g/100ml
* Residual Sugar: 0.50 g/100ml
* pH: 3.11
* Malolactic Fermentation: None
* Barrels: None
* Harvest Dates: August 16 - August 31, 2007
* Date Bottled: July 2008
* Release Date: Current disgorging, November 2011
* Total Production: 4,775 Cases

Greetings from Green Valley! This is the same base wine, aged four years on the yeast in the bottle, but with a different dosage, which makes it unique.

joyironhorse wrote:Greetings from Green Valley! This is the same base wine, aged four years on the yeast in the bottle, but with a different dosage, which makes it unique.

In that case, I was mistaken earlier. They do look different in the photos, though.

ddeuddeg wrote:But the '07 Wedding Cuvée is a rosé sparkler, and the Fairy Tale is not.

joyironhorse wrote:Greetings from Green Valley! There are delicious and subtle differences between the Fairy Tale and the Wedding Cuvee. They are the same base wine, aged four years on the yeast in the bottle, but have a different dosage, which makes each unique.

Wine.com has these for $30/bottle, so you save shipping assuming you've ordered from them before and aren't getting the new customer free shipping.

The 2007 vintage Wedding Cuvee is the lowest rated vintage this decade by WS and WE. 2007 vintage for the Classic Vintage Brut wasn't available, but 2006 was and it was also the lowest rated of the decade.

That being said, they're all rated pretty high and I'm sure it's great bubbly. Don't take too much stock into ratings, and just enjoy what you like to drink the most.

http://www.wine.com/V6/Iron-Horse-Wedding-Cuvee-2007/wine/110711/detail.aspx

Why woot? Why are you determined to get me to max out my credit card and disolve my entire tax refund within a month?!? I haven't even had my honeymoon yet - been married a year already, and yet here I am desperately trying not to spend even more money on some delicious bubbles from Iron Horse - I already have the Fairy Tale ones coming!

I am not going to buy these. Really I'm not. Dammit I really want to.....

Fine. I caved. I want bubbly!

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 1m 3.580s
Last wooter to woot: mawy

I just got a four pack of Iron Horse from RueLaLa. The 2007 Wedding Cuvee is surprisingly tasty. It's dry, rose colored, and very refreshing. I'm definitely going to take the opportunity to buy more today!

I love bubbly, especially as the weather heats up!

We love the sparklers - particularly served with food, rather than as an aperitif. But we've never bought Iron Horse before, so help us understand: with Roederer Estate ranging from $15-30, and with Roederer's French champagne going for somewhere in the $40's (I'm citing Roederer because they're a bubbly we know and love) where would you folks place Iron Horse in terms of QPR, etc.?

sdbcmr wrote:We love the sparklers - particularly served with food, rather than as an aperitif. But we've never bought Iron Horse before, so help us understand: with Roederer Estate ranging from $15-30, and with Roederer's French champagne going for somewhere in the $40's (I'm citing Roederer because they're a bubbly we know and love) where would you folks place Iron Horse in terms of QPR, etc.?

i find the iron horse vintages to have much more character than the NV roederer... NV roederer tends to be a general crowd pleaser, but has less personality... i've not bought any NV roederer for collection... if you can find their cristal for $40 per bottle, i'll take the whole lot.

mawy wrote:Fine. I caved. I want bubbly!

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 1m 3.580s
Last wooter to woot: mawy

Plus the divorce will actually be cheaper than the honeymoon and you can then buy more woot!

sukeiasa wrote:i find the iron horse vintages to have much more character than the NV roederer... NV roederer tends to be a general crowd pleaser, but has less personality... i've not bought any NV roederer for collection... if you can find their cristal for $40 per bottle, i'll take the whole lot.

Thanks, sukeiasa - that's the kind of perspective I'm trying to sort out. And I can definitely see that smaller scale might make Iron Horse a more interesting pour than the Roederer NV's, which are a straight-out imitation of the French style ... but no - the French cristal isn't going for $40 unless it fell off the truck.

Anyone else?

true559 wrote:With the weather warming up, how is it possible to prevent temperature abuse during shipping ?

Well, I guess the lack of reply answeres my question. No more wine.woot for me 'till October. Of course, in the meantime, I will return to the website and read all the witty remarks.

joyironhorse wrote:Greetings from Green Valley! This is the same base wine, aged four years on the yeast in the bottle, but with a different dosage, which makes it unique.

Please pardon my sparkling winemaking ignorance, but what does it mean to have different dosage -- and how does this difference manifest itself in these two wines?

brwmaster wrote:Plus the divorce will actually be cheaper than the honeymoon and you can then buy more woot!

Well now thats a happy thought. To a given value of 'happy'.
Good thing, for all his grousing about my wine purchases, he still enjoys every one I bring home!

I still want my honeymoon tho... Maybe a california wine country visit so I can say Hi to the Sterlings and the Harveys...

sdbcmr wrote:Thanks, sukeiasa - that's the kind of perspective I'm trying to sort out. And I can definitely see that smaller scale might make Iron Horse a more interesting pour than the Roederer NV's, which are a straight-out imitation of the French style ... but no - the French cristal isn't going for $40 unless it fell off the truck.

Anyone else?

Remember, all Iron Horse Sparklings are vintage, which means not only that the grapes come from the same year, but more importnatly how long they are aged. The longer the aging, the smaller the bubbles, the higher the quality.

mawy wrote:Well now thats a happy thought. To a given value of 'happy'.
Good thing, for all his grousing about my wine purchases, he still enjoys every one I bring home!

I still want my honeymoon tho... Maybe a california wine country visit so I can say Hi to the Sterlings and the Harveys...

Please come visit ... especially for a belated honeymoon!

synchrodan wrote:Please pardon my sparkling winemaking ignorance, but what does it mean to have different dosage -- and how does this difference manifest itself in these two wines?

Thanks for asking. I was hoping someone would! Dosage is the finishing element. It's a syrup made from wine and sugar. How much is added determines the degree of sweetness to dryness. The composition of the dosage sets the style. Amazingly, even one ml can make a difference ... just like seasoning in cooking. To me, the Wedding Cuvee is bright, clean, crisp and dominated by berry flavors. The Fairy Tale Cuvee is richer and creamier, has a softer texture and more tropical fruit like melon and pineapple.

Dosage is the finishing wine/syrup that is added just after we remove (disgorge) the yeast out of the bottle. Because it almost always contains some sugar, it balances the naturally high acidity of the sparkler. Additionally, it add nuances to the nose, mouth and finish. Our last chance to make it perfect.
David Munksgard, Winemaker

Hi Joy!, David! Welcome back to woot!!

We're looking forward to seeing you in July on Tour!

Iron Horse sparklers are always an rpm autobuy.

I like the Brut better than the Wedding Cuvee, but enjoy both thoroughly. (I like my Champagne with very little dosage, and the older the better as Joy and I have discussed).