Starting out as a crop farmer in Californian Gold Rush country, John Kautz saw the potential of grape production in the Lodi area and purchased just 12 acres of land in the Sierra Foothills in 1948. The business grew to the point where the Kautz family were amongst the top 10 grape growers in Calfornia and in 1988 John and his family decided take the next steps to producing wine of their own, building a state of the art winery at Ironstone Vineyards and securing the help of winemaker Steve Millier to produce a wide selection of great value, approachable wines.