When Barry and Audrey Sterling bought a prune farm in Green Valley in 1976, they were told it was too cold. They proved the doubters wrong. Iron Horse has poured sparkling at the White House across seven presidencies since Reagan. The redwood barn tasting room sweeps to Mt. St. Helena.
When Barry and Audrey Sterling bought an abandoned prune farm in Green Valley in 1976, they were told it was too cold to grow grapes. They proved the doubters spectacularly wrong. Iron Horse is now one of America's most celebrated sparkling wine estates — the only winery to have served its wines at the White House under five different presidents, from Reagan to Obama. The estate's Thomas Road Vineyard, planted on Goldridge sandy loam soils above the fog line, produces the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that forms the backbone of their traditional-method sparklers.
Classic Vintage Brut, Green Valley of Russian River Valley — The flagship sparkling: estate-grown, crisp and toasty, in the lineup poured at the White House since the Reagan-Gorbachev summit.
Blanc de Blancs, Green Valley — A 100% Chardonnay sparkling of finesse and citrus precision.
Brut Rosé, Green Valley — Mostly Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Noir; delicate and red-fruited.
Thomas Road Pinot Noir, Green Valley — The flagship still Pinot, vibrant and silky.
Estate Chardonnay, Green Valley — Beautifully structured and nuanced from the cool estate vineyard.
Audrey and Barry Sterling bought the Green Valley property in 1976; the first Chardonnay followed in 1978 and the first sparkling in 1980. Three generations of the Sterling family farm the 160-acre estate, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for both still and sparkling wines.
Barry and Audrey Sterling founded Iron Horse in 1976 at the end of a winding one-lane road on 300 acres of fog-kissed Green Valley hillside. Three generations of the Sterling family now live on the property. The outdoor "tasting room" — a rustic redwood barn with sweeping views across Sonoma County to Mt. St. Helena — has been serving Iron Horse sparkling wines at the White House across seven consecutive presidencies since 1985. Estate production centers on traditional method sparkling wines (Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Wedding Cuvée, Classic Vintage Brut), plus still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Tastings are by reservation ($35 per person, complimentary for wine club members); picnic table rentals available ($50 weekend, $25 weekday); summer magnum tastings in the Gazebo ($85 per person) are the estate's crown experience.
David Munksgard has been winemaker and chef de caves at Iron Horse Vineyards since 1996, with the 2025 harvest marking his thirtieth vintage on the estate (he is now transitioning toward a Winemaker Emeritus role). A Fresno State–trained enologist who arrived with experience in both the Russian River Valley and New York's Finger Lakes, he crafts Iron Horse's celebrated estate-grown sparkling wines and still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir entirely from the family's Green Valley vineyards. Founded by Barry and Audrey Sterling in 1976 and now run by their children Joy and Laurence Sterling, Iron Horse is a Green Valley pioneer whose sparkling wines have been poured at the White House across seven consecutive administrations — and celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2026.
Joy Sterling is the CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards, the Green Valley estate her parents, Barry and Audrey Sterling, founded in 1976 after first glimpsing the fog-kissed property in the pouring rain. Three generations of the Sterling family live on the 300-acre estate, famous for its estate-grown sparkling wines — poured at White House state dinners across decades — alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A former journalist and author, Joy is the winery’s public voice and steward, carrying forward her family’s vision of place-driven wines with a celebrated open-air tasting terrace.
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Classic Vintage Brut, Green Valley of Russian River Valley — The flagship sparkling: estate-grown, crisp and toasty, in the lineup poured at the White House since the Reagan-Gorbachev summit.
Blanc de Blancs, Green Valley — A 100% Chardonnay sparkling of finesse and citrus precision.
Brut Rosé, Green Valley — Mostly Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Noir; delicate and red-fruited.
Thomas Road Pinot Noir, Green Valley — The flagship still Pinot, vibrant and silky.
Estate Chardonnay, Green Valley — Beautifully structured and nuanced from the cool estate vineyard.
Audrey and Barry Sterling bought the Green Valley property in 1976; the first Chardonnay followed in 1978 and the first sparkling in 1980. Three generations of the Sterling family farm the 160-acre estate, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for both still and sparkling wines.
When Barry and Audrey Sterling bought an abandoned prune farm in Green Valley in 1976, they were told it was too cold to grow grapes. They proved the doubters spectacularly wrong. Iron Horse is now one of America's most celebrated sparkling wine estates — the only winery to have served its wines at the White House under five different presidents, from Reagan to Obama. The estate's Thomas Road Vineyard, planted on Goldridge sandy loam soils above the fog line, produces the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that forms the backbone of their traditional-method sparklers.
Barry and Audrey Sterling founded Iron Horse in 1976 at the end of a winding one-lane road on 300 acres of fog-kissed Green Valley hillside. Three generations of the Sterling family now live on the property. The outdoor "tasting room" — a rustic redwood barn with sweeping views across Sonoma County to Mt. St. Helena — has been serving Iron Horse sparkling wines at the White House across seven consecutive presidencies since 1985. Estate production centers on traditional method sparkling wines (Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Wedding Cuvée, Classic Vintage Brut), plus still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Tastings are by reservation ($35 per person, complimentary for wine club members); picnic table rentals available ($50 weekend, $25 weekday); summer magnum tastings in the Gazebo ($85 per person) are the estate's crown experience.
David Munksgard has been winemaker and chef de caves at Iron Horse Vineyards since 1996, with the 2025 harvest marking his thirtieth vintage on the estate (he is now transitioning toward a Winemaker Emeritus role). A Fresno State–trained enologist who arrived with experience in both the Russian River Valley and New York's Finger Lakes, he crafts Iron Horse's celebrated estate-grown sparkling wines and still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir entirely from the family's Green Valley vineyards. Founded by Barry and Audrey Sterling in 1976 and now run by their children Joy and Laurence Sterling, Iron Horse is a Green Valley pioneer whose sparkling wines have been poured at the White House across seven consecutive administrations — and celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2026.
Joy Sterling is the CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards, the Green Valley estate her parents, Barry and Audrey Sterling, founded in 1976 after first glimpsing the fog-kissed property in the pouring rain. Three generations of the Sterling family live on the 300-acre estate, famous for its estate-grown sparkling wines — poured at White House state dinners across decades — alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A former journalist and author, Joy is the winery’s public voice and steward, carrying forward her family’s vision of place-driven wines with a celebrated open-air tasting terrace.
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