Brian Harlan
Winemaker, Proprietor
Wine has always been a part of Brian’s life. This began while spending summers in his grandfather’s vineyard and enjoying 4th of July BBQ’s, where wine was always on the table. Brian started his career in the restaurant industry in Sacramento eventually elevating himself through the ranks from host to bar manager. Opening numerous restaurants and fine dining establishments he found his niche in great wine service. Becoming a Sommelier and working with distributors, lead to a job with Southern Wine & Spirits working in a division dedicated to selling high end brands of Moet & Hennessy and Diageo. After selling wines and spirits for other companies, Brian convinced his father Arden Burt to join him in making a few barrels of Zinfandel from his grandfather’s vineyard. In 2007 Brian moved to Napa and took a harvest intern job at Terra Valentine under Sam Baxter. Taking classes at Davis in combination with his biology background lead to an amazing career working next to multiple winemakers at Raymond, Biale, Falcor, Envy & Joseph Cellars.
In 2012 Brian’s high school crush, Amanda, moved to Napa where they are now married with three sons under 5 years old! Following his passion of wine and the industry, he has found a home in the exquisite Calistoga wine community working closely with his lovely wife.
Arden “Burt” Harlan
Owner
Burt Harlan grew up in a small rural farming community in Lake County California. He attended a 1-room schoolhouse through 8th grade before going off to boarding school for his freshman and sophomore year. He returned to Kelseyville to finish high school with his older brother and help his family with farming. His summers were spent working in the Burton Ranch Vineyards, which have been in his family for over 110 years. In the fall he would return to Lake County and work in the Pear sheds loading ‘piggy-back’ trailers destined for the east coast. After graduation he followed his high school sweetheart, Sharon Kay, to Fresno where he received his degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. He married Sharon and raised two children (Stephanie & Brian) in Sacramento.
Over the next 20 years he worked in commercial real estate investments and development. In 1994 he moved to New York to work for Merrill Lynch as a Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities underwriter in the World Financial Center. His Investment Banking career led him back to California, first to San Francisco for Deutsche Bank, and then Newport Beach in Orange County with UBS. He currently resides in Roseville, Ca.
Amanda Lusk-Harlan
Director of Operations
Amanda grew up in Sacramento, Ca where she attended high school and first met her husband, Brian Harlan. Being awarded a scholarship to Oklahoma City University (OCU) Amanda moved across the country right after graduation. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in dance Performance and was a professional “Broadway Style” dancer for the first part of her life. Her 27 year performance career took her around the U.S. until making a temporary home in Branson, Mo dancing three shows a day 6 days a week. In 2010 Amanda retired and found her new passion…wine! Amanda won a scholarship to Missouri State University (MSU) to study Viticulture, and Enology. After two harvests and a Double Gold Medal for her first label, “Bikini Zin-Shiraz” she soon realized that she needed to be closer to her family and in the heart of the best wine in the world- Napa Valley! She picked up and drove west heading for her next career. Little did she know, Brian had already established his winemaking career and was willing to help her get settled and begin hers. He offered her a half ton of grapes from his grandfathers vineyard as long as she met him every evening to tend to her winemaking. She agreed, not realizing this was all a plan to get her to go on a date with him. Their passion for wine brought Amanda and Brian back together after 16 years and they were married in 2014. They have three sons born in 2016, 2018 and 2020!
Matt & Diego
Winemaking Team
Matt was raised in a small town on the shores of the Puget Sound. There he learned the virtues of
hard work and a love of the outdoors. Deciding early on in life that he’d rather explore to find his place in it rather than force a career he took flight. He’s lived in the Southwest, all over California (Northern, Southern, and Central), Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even a couple of years in Puerto Rico. Along this journey he’s worn many hats as well as adding different skill sets to his repertoire. He learned mechanics and an strong set of core values in the Coast Guard which led to a brief yet exciting tug boat career. After exploring the sea, he chose construction and then computer networking, and even found time to become a certified arborist.
A chance reunion with a childhood friend brought him to visit the Napa Valley where he discovered wine. He packed up and left San Diego for his next adventure. He signed up for Viticulture and Enology classes at Napa College and received his degree in Viticulture. Matt broke into the wine industry working both sides of the house at Lava Vine in 2013. In 2017 he took an internship opportunity at Brian Arden Winery. He was hooked. He finally found the career that checked all of the boxes. Hard work. Outside of the box thinking. Science. And artistic expression. Stewardship of the land Once his internship time was up Matt travelled for Healdsburg to work in the cellar at Flowers Winery further increasing his knowledge and curiosity in wine. In 2020 an opportunity to come back to Brian Arden Winery was presented and he couldn’t be more thrilled to be back!
Angel
General Manager
Angel Wilkes brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role as General Manager at Brian Arden Winery. Her career spans multiple industries, including education, health and wellness, restaurants, and travel planning. Her love for travel and adventure has taken her across the globe, with Napa Valley being her favorite destination since her first visit in 2010.
In 2015, Angel embarked on a life-changing journey with the Semester at Sea program, organizing shore excursions for college students in 12 different countries. This experience inspired her to relocate to Napa Valley, where she initially worked at the Culinary Institute of America as an Event Planner in the Wine Education Department. While there, a former Brian Arden employee asked if she would like to help out in the tasting room on busy weekends. The first day she walked into Brian Arden, she fell in love with the space and atmosphere. Soon, Brian and Amanda approached Angel about helping to build an events program at the winery, which led Angel to come on board full time. Recognized for her contributions, Angel was promoted to Director of Hospitality in 2019. She later took a brief hiatus to serve as the Executive Assistant for Chef Thomas Keller.
Now back at Brian Arden Winery as General Manager, Angel is thrilled to be a part of the team again and to play an integral role in the winery’s continued success.
Angel holds a degree in Hospitality Management and Event Planning from the University of Florida, a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University, and a Culinary Arts Degree from the College of Dupage in Illinois
Coming Soon
A New Executive Chef
Harvest
The Real Star of the Show
Are you ready for harvest 2024? Some great things have been happening in the winery! Between harvesting our grapes, watching them be processed and fermented, harvest is always a very busy time in Napa Valley. This is our 10th Harvest at our Brian Arden location and we are excited with the new changes that are coming this Fall. Have you tried our new Chef Experience with all new foods paired perfectly with our new wines? We are botteling hundreds of cases of wine this month which is both, educational and a special sight to see! Being a small family winery, all hands are on deck for this process. No matter what day you visit us, you’ll find something happening in either our tasting room or our winery. We hope to see you soon!
Jillian
Tasting Room Educator/Event Coordinator
Jillian is a proud Sonoma County native, now happily residing in Sonoma. Her first memory of the wine world began with her mother’s dream of sharing a tasting day with her someday.
Before diving into her current role, she had the pleasure of working in the enchanting world of wine-country weddings alongside her various restaurant positions. There’s something magical about helping couples celebrate their special day amidst the vines.
She is a 2020 graduate with a passion for business, winemaking, and travel. When she’s not exploring new wineries or planning her next adventure, she can be found soaking in the beauty of Sonoma’s landscapes through her favorite pastime, walking her dogs.
“Cheers to new experiences and the joy of sharing them with others!”
Winery Dogs
Caleigh (Golden Retriever, 12)
Malic (Pug, 7)
While Malic and Caleigh currently work from home, you’ll always find a good story about Caleigh greeting guests when she used to work in the tasting room. She would come over for a scratch on the head or just to enjoy the sunshine with you. Caleigh is the most popular employee we have at Brian Arden and pretty much controls the Instagram “likes” we’ve received. The BAW Dogs have been featured on the cover of both Wine Dogs California 2018 and 2020 editions which can be purchased in our tasting room. Look for the newest edition coming soon!