In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we poured our first bottle of Patriarch’s Promise, yet unbelievably so, this year marks one decade of sharing this beloved wine. It was first poured and enjoyed by a group of special guests at our inaugural Dinner with the Family event in the summer of 2012. That night, an appreciation and love for this treasured wine was born.
As you will learn, this is not your average grape juice. It is embedded with heritage, made with pride, and imagined to impress beyond the region.
This wine was named in honor of the patriarch of the family, George Mettler. After all, he is the reason this wine exists today. Family man and farmer, George was the fourth generation to farm on Harney Lane in Lodi, California. The history of the family dates back to his great grandfather, Fred Schnaidt, who was the original family member to purchase and farm land on Harney Lane. Fred gifted his son, Henry, with the property, who would become the first family member to plant vines on the “Home Ranch.” After Henry’s passing in 1964, George sought to begin a farming operation on Harney Lane with his mother, Frances Mettler.
Through his farming practices, George instilled important pillars of the business that still exist today. Some of these mantras include, never cutting corners, refusing to compromise quality, and always remembering the importance of family. While staying true to its roots, George’s humble farm has since expanded significantly into what is considered today, Harney Lane Winery.
Harney Lane Winery was started in 2008 by George, Kathy, their daughter, Jorja, and her husband, Kyle Lerner, though the idea of a winery originated with Kyle and Jorja. The family had felt first-hand the volatility of the winegrape market and having had desire to take full control of their own destiny– thought it would be best to forego selling to large wine corporations they would traditionally sell their grapes to. The fifth-generation felt that it was time to adjust the family business model and begin bottling its own fruit. Thus, George, Kathy, Kyle, and Jorja found themselves on a new business endeavor, while still managing their farming operation.
George got to see the birth and success of Harney Lane Winery, however he lost his battle with cancer in 2013. His legacy still lives on today through his family, his farm, and the winery they worked to create together.
The promise is kept to George– to make a beautiful, handcrafted wine from historic Harney Lane vines, give back to the community through charitable contributions, and keep this unique varietal alive and thriving in the Lodi appellation.
The Patriarch’s Promise was originally George’s idea. In fact, George pestered Kyle and winemaker, Chad, to make wine from these grapes that he believed had huge potential.
As told best by his wife, this is how Kathy tells the story:
“We have some fruit on the ranch that is considered old-fashioned. George remembered in his grandfather’s day this particular grape was being used as a blending grape and he thought they made really nice wines with it. So, he started bugging Kyle and Chad to make a blend for Harney Lane using this grape. They weren’t real excited about the idea in the beginning…being the stubborn German that George was, he kept at them and, finally, Chad started working on it. Three years later, Chad came up with a blend that George thought was really worth pursuing. George was thrilled and so proud that Chad came around and decided to play with the fruit to make this fantastic wine.”
To this day, the winegrape varietal has been kept a proprietary secret. The hope is to eventually share this unique variety with all who enjoy Harney Lane wine. Until then, we love sharing this story and holding a special piece of George close to our hearts.
As a commitment to George, as well as many of our winery friends, family, and community members who have been affected by this disease, we continue to pledge a 10% donation of sales from every Patriarch’s Promise bottle purchased to cancer-related charities. To this day, we have donated almost $80,000 dollars to this cause.
The grapes used to make Patriarch’s Promise are grown from vines that were planted over 50 years ago. This varietal was to become a star in Lodi’s wine grape growing history, however, many winemakers did not take the time needed to age this finicky wine properly. With this difficulty, farmers became frustrated and soon supplanted this variety with other varieties. By happenstance, George decided to keep a patch of this vineyard, knowing deep down there was great potential with these grapes. Today, there is a very small number of people in the Lodi appellation that grow this same varietal.
Over the years, we’ve learned how to work with old vines and understand what is needed to optimize their full potential. The other undisclosed secret imperative to Patriarch’s Promise– patience. This wine spends more time in the barrel than any of our other varietals. Through diligence and attention to detail in the barrel-aging process, we’ve been able to unlock a beautiful, full-bodied wine that adds another level of elegance to our wine offerings.
Aged on French Oak for 29 months, this wine is complex, with dense color and aromas of cracked pepper, blueberry, and vanilla cream. It is wonderfully smooth, well-structured with firm tannins, yet finishes with flavors of earthiness and spice. The case production is limited, and the wine is visionary. If you need a remarkable wine, Patriarch’s Promise is one to be both celebrated, enjoyed, and cherished with family– just as George would have wanted.
