Iron Horse is one of Sonoma County's most prestigious, small, independent, estate, family owned wineries.  The founding partners, Audrey and Barry Sterling first saw it in the pouring rain in February 1976.  Driving down Ross Station Road, they were sure they were lost until they crested the knoll and the view opened up to 300 acres of gentle rolling hills and a wall of trees behind that looked like Camelot to them.  Incurable romantics, and having extraordinary vision, they bought the property in just two weeks.

In those days, Iron Horse was the most westerly vineyard in Sonoma County.  Even the agricultural extension agents from US Davis recommended they look further east as this vineyard was prone to frost as late as June 1st, well after bud-break in the spring and jeopardizing the crop.  But having lived in France, the Sterlings knew the cool, foggy climate was exactly what they were looking for to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  And, as a native San Franciscan, Audrey Sterling had spent part of her summers on the Russian River and was familiar with the area.

There were 110 acres in vine at the time, originally planted by Forrest Tancer when he was working for Rodney Strong. Forrest and the Sterlings became partners, upgraded the vineyard, engineered an elaborate frost protection system, built the winery and produced their first vintage of Estate Chardonnay in 1978.  The winery officially opened in 1979 with the first vintage of Estate Pinot Noir on Barry Sterling's 50th birthday.  The first vintage for the Sparkling Wines was 1980.

The name Iron Horse came from a train that stopped at Ross Station at the turn of the 20th Century.  The logo, the rampant horse on a weathervane, came from an actual weathervane that was unearthed when they were leveling the ground to build the winery.

In the arena of Sparkling Wines, Iron Horse stands as one of the top two or three California producers, depending upon whom you read.  The wines have been served at the White House for the past four consecutive presidential administrations, beginning with the historic Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings, which lead to the end of the Cold War.

The winery is proud to produce a limited number of special cuvees for select chefs and restaurateurs including Charlie Palmer, Michael Mina, Bradley Ogden, Norman Van Akin, Guenter Seeger in Atlanta, Disney and Commander's Palace.

Iron Horse is truly a family affair.  Audrey and Barry's daughter Joy Sterling joined the winery in 1985.  She has become the face of Iron Horse.  She oversees sales, marketing and PR and lives at the foot of the estate.  The Sterling's son Laurence, his wife Terry and their children moved to Iron Horse in 1990 and built their home on the far southwest corner of the property.  Laurence is Director of Operations.  Audrey and Barry are retired, but still reside at the heart of the property in the original Victorian built in 1876.  Forrest Tancer retired in 2005.

It's altogether fitting that when Long Island's oldest and most respected winery was up for sale some years ago, it caught the eye of a cosmopolitan Philadelphia couple who loved wine, had a respect for tradition and whose own noble roots dated back to ninth century Italy - Marco and Ann Marie Borghese. See the video by Marco here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gesVxBRTyQ.

Since 1999, the first vineyard on the North Fork has been in the creative hands of Prince Marco and Princess Ann Marie Borghese, who promptly renamed it Castello di Borghese -- Castle of the Borgheses. The 2003 season marked the 30th anniversary of this founding vineyard of the Long Island wine industry. Ann Marie and Marco continue to apply new levels of energy, watching the vineyard evolve graciously under their stewardship.

The new owners have expanded the vineyard in Long Island, redesigned the tasting room and set up a cafe-like seating area, one indoors and another outdoors, to allow people a greater degree of relaxation when tasting the ever-expanding selection of Castello di Borghese wines. The year 2001, for example, marked the debut of a new label, the Borghese Meritage, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Contrary to other owners who prefer to operate behind the scenes, the Borgheses actually enjoy greeting visitors to their “castello,” often taking time to join in, or even lead, the many wine tastings held in their newly updated tasting room. “By being out front we can provide our customers with a better idea of what we're trying to achieve in our wines,” says Ann Marie. "We also like sharing the experience, to see their expressions when tasting our new vintages for the first time."

Winners of numerous international awards, Castello di Borghese Vineyard and Winery has earned widespread respect.