Onus Wines - Lodi, CA Winery

The Peterson family grew yet again when Nancy Peterson married Darrel Dobler and two children Robby and Gary Dobler were added to the Peterson clan. Recognizing an opportunity in the varietals wine grapes business, Jim converted the ranch from the traditional Flame Tokay variety to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel. Moreover, he also began to develop relationships with smaller wineries with vineyard designated bottles of wine. The focus shifted dramatically from an agricultural commodity to a high quality food product. To insure quality, Jim and his sons' started fermenting small lots of wine at home and eventually bottling them to prove that quality in the vineyards is reflected as quality in the bottle. Thus the idea of "Proof is in the bottle" was born and producing wine from the property became a beacon for the family's efforts.