Harney Lane Vineyards: A Little Piece of Heaven

“There is a sign hanging in our workspace,” shared Kirsten Lerner, a sixth-generation member of the Harney Lane Vineyards family, “that reads ‘Positively influence the lives of all we interact with!’”

The sign has been there for as long as she can remember, from her days washing glasses at age 13 to her current position as head of the Harney Lane Vineyards Wine Club. “It speaks to the heart of what we do and why we do it, our vision, our values, and it applies to the land too,” Kirsten explained. “Leaving the land better than we found it is an important goal to all of us and a driving force behind our sustainable farming practices.”

The Legacy
When Fred Schnaidt bought the land in 1900, it was with the intention of farming and building a legacy for future generations of his family and community. From farming produce and vineyards to planting the awesome mass of shady Deodar cedars that preside majestically over the main garden at Harney Lane, Fred and his son, Henry, quite literally sowed the seeds for the future. Today the Harney Lane Vineyards Grace and Grit® brand pays homage to the six generations, underscoring their values, history and hard work that continue to this day.

Henry’s grandson, George Mettler, spent his life faithfully carrying on the stewardship of what his father and grandfather began. When George was just a teen his father passed away; he was raised by his mother and learned farming from his grandfather, Henry Schnaidt. In 1964, at 21, George married his wife, Kathy Mettler, who was 19. Just 18 months after they married, however, George’s grandfather Henry died too, leaving George in charge of the farm and with the responsibility of supporting his wife, mother and grandmother.

Kathy Mettler
Kathy, now 80 and the matriarch of the family, recalled those early days. “I was very naive at 19. I went from being a city girl to a country girl overnight when we moved in here to join my mother-in-law and George’s grandmother.” She added with a laugh, “My husband had it made though, with all three of us waiting on him, and his mother making cookies for him every day, and that sort of thing.”

Kathy continued humorously, “I was ‘promoted,’ if you could call it that, from housewife to driving tractors, and that included pulling outhouses.” The website blog that Jorja Lerner wrote about her mom in October recounts some of this information. “My mom always said she was just a farmer’s wife and a mom but she was really the partner in the business for years and that meant that you did whatever needed to be done, even moving equipment or Porta Potties.”

Indeed, over the next 58 years Kathy performed nearly every kind of work needed to keep the farm running. “Back then my husband and I really struggled for a lot of years, so to see what Harney Lane has become makes me very happy,” she said. “I love working with the kids.” By kids, she means her daughter, Jorja Lerner, and Jorja’s husband, Kyle Lerner, as well as the couple’s daughter, Kirsten, 25, and son, Ian, 23. In fact, it was Jorja and Kyle who, in 2006, developed the winery and tasting room for which the ranch has become so well-known and respected. Jorja is quick to note, however, that it’s been a team effort to get the farm, wine production and tasting room to this point.

Jorja, who is co-proprietor with her husband, Kyle, and her mother, Kathy Mettler, says that when they were presented with a number of branding options, Grace and Grit was the unanimous choice of everyone on the team. “It represented our history, the fact that we are 100 percent estate grown and produced and keeps us connected in every way to the product and the values we represent.”

Kathy recalled, “When Kyle came on board, my husband, George, was dealing with cancer so Kyle helped out a lot. He expanded the farming end of the business, doing jobs for other farmers in the area. He was very open to innovation and had a lot of skills, which George really appreciated. Our only child was Jorja, who was a physical therapist, and here we had this entire ranch and we just didn’t know how we were going to work things out. But one day Jorja and Kyle presented us with research they had done and their idea of opening a winery and tasting room. It made perfect sense to us and a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders.”

Despite all her years of hard work, Kathy reminisced, “My husband was a happy man with many hobbies, but more than anything he loved working the land and never wanted to neglect what his grandfather had worked so hard to build.” It’s a sentiment shared by everyone in the family, especially Kyle. Affable but adamant about not losing sight of what has been entrusted to him, Kyle’s mantra is “Not on my watch.” “George talked a lot to Kyle about quality and keeping everything 100 percent estate grown and Kyle took that to heart,” Kathy shared. Kyle and Jorja are deeply committed to their agricultural principles and to keeping every step of the wine making process in house as one of their many quality control assurances.

Jorja and Kyle Lerner
Jorja and Kyle share a “no shortcuts, no compromises” approach to producing the best wines. The couple believe doing so helps their own success as well as the other wine businesses and growers in the region. “For a long time, Lodi did not get the recognition it deserved and whatever we can do to change that, to promote local wine in general, is good for all of us,” Jorja said. “We want the region as a whole to be recognized and successful.”

In fact, it was the overall uncertainty of the wine and farming business she’d seen growing up that made Jorja spend the first 15 years of her career as a physical therapist. But when she and Kyle saw the opportunity to build the business in a more stable way by using part of their vineyards to produce estate grown and produced wines, they knew it was something they wanted to pursue.

“In 2006 we began wine production and opened in 2008,” Jorja recounted. “Initially tastings were held on the weekends in the winery production building while the tasting room was still under construction. The first weekend we were open, we gave out plastic yellow hard hats with Harney Lane stickers on them because we were still under construction. We continued to serve guests in the winery building until the tasting room was completed in late summer 2009.”

The region’s naturally sandy soil, which promotes deep root structure and vine longevity, has always been conducive to growing grapes, especially zinfandel. Although they did not plant the Lizzy James Vineyard themselves but acquired it as a separate parcel of land more recently, that particular vineyard produces one of Harney Lanes Vineyards’ best-selling wines, Lizzy James, a prize-winning old vine zinfandel. The family also continues to farm other varietals including albariño, petite sirah, tempranillo and chardonnay.

With a sixth sense for managing all the moving parts, Jorja is by all accounts the air traffic controller of the operation. While Kyle oversees the farming and wine making, Jorja handles everything from the financials and human resources to managing the tasting room and shipments to wine club members. “I also love collaborating with the team and watching good ideas lead to more good ideas,” she added. Jorja is thrilled that her daughter, Kirsten, has joined the business as their wine club manager. Her son, Ian, currently works for Amazon but Jorja allows that there is always the possibility he may come on board in the future.

As effective as she is behind the scenes, Jorja is also keenly engaged and connected in person. “We attract a lot of really nice people and I just love our loyal customers and club members whom I have gotten to know. We want people to have a great experience here with us, with each other, and with our wines. It’s such a serene place to be and visitors really enjoy that aspect when they are here. Kyle always says, ‘People need people’ and nothing proved that more than the COVID lockdowns. When we reopened, he added seating around the fire pit and throughout the property where people can relax and connect with one another,” she affirmed.

Kirsten Lerner
Kirsten grew up watching her parents work extremely hard and always admired them as a team. Both during and after college she was drawn to acting and human resources, which she points out are people oriented. After a couple of years working in human resources, Kirsten realized there were quite a few similarities between what she was doing and her family business. “I enjoy looking after people in the wine club and ensuring our members get the very best we have to offer. I can say there is a lot of common ground there so it was a natural transition,” she said.

“Seeing family relationships evolve, being an adult now and spending time with my parents and grandma make this really special for me. So many people don’t have that luxury. And having an amazing family makes working together easier than it should be,” Kirsten laughed. “The Grace and Grit rebranding was well timed and it brought a lot of positive energy. I now have a firsthand understanding of the hard work, the grit, of what it takes to do what my parents do as well as all the family members who came before them,” she elaborated.

Perhaps the most frequent comment Kirsten, Jorja, Kathy and staff hears from visitors is how much peace and calm they feel in the garden. Echoing her father’s wisdom, Kirsten said, “Even after the toughest day, people need people and connection, and wine is just the vessel that connects them. They meet, they make friends here, and they keep coming back.”

Nodding in agreement, Kirsten’s grandmother, Kathy, replied, “I remember a gentleman sitting beside the fire pit, and he said to me, ‘Sweetheart, do you realize you have a little piece of heaven here?’ Now, every time I hear someone say that kind of thing I really do stop and think how blessed I am to have so many beautiful memories out here. It’s pretty special.”