Harney Lane Winery & Vineyards opened for business in 2008, pouring our first wines in a modest winery building while the Tasting Room was still under construction. As 4th and 5th generation family members on the original property, proprietors Kathy and George Mettler, along with daughter and son-in-law Jorja and Kyle Lerner, lead with a “farmers first” perspective. Their vision for the winery – and for the greater Lodi region – has always been based on crafting high-quality, small lot estate wines that demonstrate the full character and range of sustainably farmed Lodi wine grapes. Coupled with an elevated tasting experience, they knew this had the potential to bring Lodi to the next level. Almost 10 years later, it is an exciting time to be a part of the Lodi Wine family!
“I can’t help but think back to the beginning,” reflects Jorja. “It seemed like we waited for the new building forever and sometimes just waited for customers to show up. Some weekends we were lucky to have a handful of visitors and at that time we had just four wines to pour and under 750 cases produced. What an honor it has been to see the growth both in our production and visitation! While much has changed in the last 10 years, our commitment to producing the best wines from our own vineyards has not. Nor has our commitment to providing a wonderful experience to go along with those wines.”
September’s California Wine Month is the perfect time to celebrate 10 years of wonderful experiences at Harney Lane. Our portfolio now includes 12 wines, with more in the works, and a winery nearing 6,000 in annual case production. It’s been an exciting year of growth and with the arrival of our 10 Year Anniversary, we can’t help but think that good things come in 10s! We are overjoyed that we captured a win for “Best Winery Tour” in USA Today’s 10 Best contest this summer! This was a special honor, as we were the only Lodi winery nominated. We undoubtedly have our wonderful patrons and Wine:30 members to thank for casting their votes daily, as well as our phenomenal staff, who enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for the winery and vineyards with everyone who comes through our doors!
In addition to the big 10 Best win, we’ve also gained some exciting accolades for our wine this year. Our 2015 Lizzy James Zinfandel, hailing from 114 year old Lodi vines, garnered not one, but two Double Gold awards from the esteemed 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the 2018 California Zinfandel Championship, respectively. While additional awards have been rolling in for all of our current vintages, at least three other varietals have also received Double Golds and a Gold, Best of Class in 2018. We like to think that the fruit speaks for itself and know that our late Patriarch George would be proud that his legacy of sustainable farming continues to produce top-notch wines!
“The great thing about Harney Lane is that it is an estate property and we’re working with some of the best vineyards in Lodi,” says winemaker Chad Joseph. “The fact that we control them is very powerful. I’ve been fortunate to be the winemaker since the beginning, 10 years ago, and I have a history with those vineyards. I’ve built a relationship with this farming family, so a lot of trust and knowledge goes hand in hand with that. This allows us to get the most out of our vineyards and consistently produce award winning wines, year after year.”
In celebration of Harney Lane’s 10 year anniversary this September, our tasting room is filled with activities that encourage guests to get up close and personal with their wines. Whether that happens on a Grape to Glass Tour in the vineyards or during one of Kyle’s Farmer’s Series workshops, all events are open to the public!
We hope you will stop in to sample our wines, ask questions and, as we always say, raise your glass to our new tradition!
