Acampo winery with Lodi roots, sustainable vineyard farming under LODI RULES, and American Dream Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The producer
Rodney and Gayla Schatz bought their first property in 1985, 40 acres of Old Vine Zinfandel in the Lodi Appellation. Peltier Winery & Vineyards is based in Acampo, California and operates as both a winery and a custom crush facility. Its vineyards use LODI RULES farming, owl boxes, cover crops, drip irrigation, solar panels and a worm farm that treats process water for reuse in the vineyard. American Dream Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are fruit forward, oak marked reds with dark berry, mint or herb, chocolate or vanilla notes.
Known for
Lodi Zinfandel and oak aged reds
Notable facts
Rodney and Gayla Schatz bought their first property, 40 acres of Old Vine Zinfandel in the Lodi Appellation, in 1985.
Peltier built a custom crush facility in 2001 to process grapes and sell bulk wine.
Peltier farms about 1,000 acres sustainably under the third party certified LODI RULES program.
A 2005 Petite Sirah led Peltier to bottle wine under its own label and later won Best of Class and Best of Region at the California State Fair.
The story
A Surplus Finds A Winery
When a year of surplus left grapes unsold at a time when the boutique winery market was growing in Lodi, Rodney and Gayla Schatz saw an opportunity. In 2001, they built a custom crush facility where their grapes could be processed and sold as bulk wine. Rodney drove the farming and bulk wine side of the business, while Gayla managed the finances. The new operation joined vineyard work to processing and bulk wine sales. Peltier now works from grape to bottle as both a winery and custom crush facility.
A Surplus Finds A Winery
When a year of surplus left grapes unsold at a time when the boutique winery market was growing in Lodi, Rodney and Gayla Schatz saw an opportunity. In 2001, they built a custom crush facility where their grapes could be processed and sold as bulk wine. Rodney drove the farming and bulk wine side of the business, while Gayla managed the finances. The new operation joined vineyard work to processing and bulk wine sales. Peltier now works from grape to bottle as both a winery and custom crush facility.
From the atlas
Peltier Winery
An Acampo, California winery with a Lodi farming history, custom crush production, and American Dream reds made from Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Lodi, California
Base
Acampo, California
Grapes in named reds
Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon
Named wines
American Dream Zinfandel and American Dream Cabernet Sauvignon
Defining feature
Winery and custom crush facility handling production from grape to bottle
The Producer
In 1985, Rodney and Gayla Schatz bought their first property, 40 acres of Old Vine Zinfandel in the Lodi Appellation. Rodney Schatz is a third generation Lodi grower, and the pair still own and operate Peltier Winery & Vineyards. Peltier is based in Acampo, California.
Rodney handles farming and bulk wine, while Gayla manages finances. A 2005 Petite Sirah prompted Peltier to bottle wine under its own label, and that wine later won Best of Class and Best of Region at the California State Fair.
Place
Lodi appears on the bottle and in the fruit supply. The grapes for American Dream Zinfandel 2023 come mainly from vineyards in Lodi, while the custom crush operation can use certified sustainable Lodi fruit or competitively sourced outside fruit. Lodi is therefore both the main origin for the 2023 Zinfandel and one source available to the wider facility.
Wines
The named red range has two vintages of American Dream Zinfandel, 2023 and 2021, alongside American Dream Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. The 2023 Zinfandel is 75% Zinfandel and 25% Petite Sirah, with 75% of the wine aged for four months in oak barrels. The 2021 Zinfandel was fermented and macerated in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, then transferred to French and American oak after pressing.
The 2023 Zinfandel is dry and full bodied, with sweet red cherry, raspberry, dark plum and dusty mineral aromas. It has just under medium high acidity, soft round tannins and a reasonably long, sweet fruited finish, with oak, blackberry, vanilla, blueberry, mint and chocolate in the flavor.
The 2021 Zinfandel is highly fruity, with strawberry, mint, blackberry and vanilla. American Dream Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is fruity and flavorful, with oak character and blackcurrant, plum, mint, blueberry, chocolate, coffee and vanilla.
Final Word
Peltier runs both winery and custom crush work, handling production from grape to bottle. American Dream keeps dark berry fruit, oak, mint, herbs, chocolate and vanilla at the front of its red range.