The Mettler Family's tradition of success

Producing award-winning Cabernet Sauvignons in the heart of Zin country

by Randy Caparoso

Starting Mettler Family Vineyards was a "family decision," according to Adam Mettler. There has always been huge tradition and talent associated with the Mettler name. Start with Adam himself, who is not only the family winemaker, but also holds down a pretty respectable "day job" as General Manager and winemaker of Michael-David Winery.

Adam's dad, Larry Mettler, heads up the family and its grape growing company (Arbor Vineyards), which farms over 800 acres of numero uno quality Lodi vineyards. Close to 300 acres are owned by the family, including 75 acres certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers, and an even bigger chunk responsibly farmed according to Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing.

Larry had taken over the family business in 1970 from his dad Carl, who was a sixth generation farmer. Carl's grandfather, George Mettler, was one of five brothers who immigrated from Germany to South Dakota in the mid-1800s, and soon after trickled down to San Joaquin Valley.

Yet according to Adam, it was his mother, Charlene Mettler, who pushed and prodded the family to come together and "take it to the next level," back in 1998. Adam's older sister, Kim Mettler-Eells, took on the role as marketer; younger sister Kelli has been immersed in sales; and Kim's husband, Jason Eells, works as vineyard manager.

Because Carl and Larry had worked for years with multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon—including research projects done for U.C. Davis—the decision was made to specialize in this grape. "Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to us to be the path of least resistance," says Larry. "It gave us a chance to set ourselves apart from other Lodi producers coming up at the time."

While doing so, the Mettlers established the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon can indeed flourish in Lodi's Mediterranean climate. The very first vintage of Mettler Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, a 1999, was ranked among Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Cabernet Sauvignons in the World," and subsequent vintages have fared just as well, including gold medals in the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and California State Fair.

Despite the critical success, says Adam, at first "Lodi Cabernet wasn't an 'easy' sell, but we managed to develop a following." Recalls Larry, "I first took it up as a challenge, in the mid-'60s while I was studying viticulture and oenology at Fresno, when a professor told me Lodi was too warm for Cabernet Sauvignon."

It seems that even the professors back then were unaware of the fact that Lodi's climate really is no different than, say, the center of Napa Valley. Picking up from where his father Carl left off with research on the ideal clones and rootstocks suited to Lodi's deep soils, Larry's hard work and persistence eventually quieted the naysayers. "How you farm is more important than clones anyhow," adds Eells. "It helps that Larry has always had farming in the blood."

All grape farmers, of course, know that vintages also matter—one year one block can produce the best grapes, and the next year it's another. Another reason Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon has proven so successful: They can cherry-pick the best of each vintage. "No more than 5 or 6 percent of what we grow goes into Mettler wines," says Adam. "Jason and my dad can make the decisions each year, even right during harvest, based upon what's happening in the vineyard, as to which Cabernet we keep and which Cabernet we sell to other wineries."

As successful as Mettler's Cabernet Sauvignons have been in wine competitions, even against regions like Napa Valley, Adam says you really can't make comparisons. "Lodi has a more fruit-forward style. One of our drawbacks is that our Cabernet struggles with getting a full tannin structure, but we're not afraid of using lots of new oak. We feel that if you're going to spend more than $20 for a wine, you should get your money's worth!"

One to try:
2008 Mettler, Estate Grown Lodi
Cabernet Sauvignon ($22)

The suggested retail price of this wine also suggests why it has been a runaway success: it's hard to find a Cabernet anywhere that gives you as much lavish varietal intensity for the price. The nose is pungent with dark fruit (blackcurrant, purple plums, black cherry) with little whiffs of licorice to go with the aromatic oak (steaming dark roasted mocha-coffee). The taste is full, fleshy, velvety, svelte, and even-keeled, filled to the top with plummy fruit ingrained with well-rounded fruit and oak tannin. At the core, it's a manly sort of wine, with a gentle, sweet side.

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