Peju Winery: 40 Years Of Wine Making Excellence And Legacy In Napa Valley

Nestled in the beautiful landscape of Napa Valley, Peju Winery is celebrating a remarkable milestone this year — its 40th anniversary. With four decades of winemaking excellence and dedication to crafting exceptional wines, Peju Winery has become an icon in the region. Known for its of small lot and single vineyard wines — including a single varietal Cabernet Franc, which isn’t all too common in the valley — Peju offers one of the most pristine grounds to enjoy a wine tasting. The Rutherford estate is features a whimsical 50-foot tower, immaculate gardens, a curated sculpture collection, and a stunning stained glass window from 1906.

Founded by industry trailblazers Tony and Herta “HB” Peju, Peju Winery remains a family-owned and operated estate comprising six vineyard estates totaling 616 acres. PEJU is now helmed by second-generation owners Lisa and Ariana Peju alongside longtime winemaker Sara Fowler.

The winery’s lush vineyards and farmland yield grapes of unparalleled character and flavor, resulting in award-winning wines that capture the essence of the Napa Valley terroir. From humble beginnings starting out of a garage to today’s milestones that include having over 300 planted acres throughout some of the top notch AVAs in Napa Valley, Peju Winery is certainly worth experiencing first hand.

We chatted with Lisa Peju, co-owner of PEJU Winery on the past 40 years, milestones, the food program and more. Here’s what she had to say.

How has PEJU evolved over the past 40 years and are there any particular milestones that are worth talking about?

So many milestones! This year, we celebrate 40 years as a working winery in Napa, which began with my father, Tony, working with famed architect Calvin Straub to envision plans for a winery that he had drawn up in ‘81. That was two years before purchasing the original 30 acres in Rutherford and 20 years before we finished our third phase of construction!

We’ve also celebrated many milestones through our wines alone. From our first, Carnival — a French Colombard — to HB Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — named after our Mother. What started out of our garage has expanded into the winery our guests experience today, including the famed grounds Tony & HB personally tended to alongside the iconic Tower.

One of our most significant (and visually distinct) milestones is our iconic PEJU Tower. At 50 feet high, the Tower holds the distinction of being one of the tallest and most unique buildings in Napa Valley. The exterior materials are stucco and stone and the roof is weathered copper, topped with a unicorn weathervane. The unicorn was all Tony’s doing!

As our demands for our wines grew, we recognized the value of managing the winemaking process from vine to bottle. This began in ‘96 with the purchase of our Persephone Estate. We’ve continued this self-sufficient approach and acquired additional vineyards to ensure consistent quality and consistency in our wines. Today, we have nearly 300 planted acres throughout some of the best AVAs in Napa Valley!

PEJU has always been about approachability and accessibility, and Tony & HB developed unique wine and culinary offerings over the years. We have a range of experiences so that all of our guests will have something to enjoy, from our vast selection of wines to our varied culinary experiences to a range of tasting experiences—there is something for everyone at PEJU.

Can you talk about some of the 40th anniversary programming you have in store this year?

To celebrate our 40th anniversary we have several activities we’re rolling out. First was the launch of The Heart of PEJU, our philanthropic program and $40k pledge to support the Monarch Justice Center in Napa Valley, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for local families and survivors of domestic abuse. Alongside this giveback program, we created The Heart of PEJU Collective.

This group of six talented female artists from around the world were commissioned to create PEJU-inspired artwork to grace 12 of our highly-anticipated 2019 HB Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 3L bottles. Launching this summer, the exclusive collection will be sold through an online auction and will include the 3L bottle of wine, the corresponding physical piece of art, and a verified NFT. A portion of these auction proceeds will also be donated to The Monarch Justice Center.

What is your winemaker philosophy and what are some of your favorite wines you’ve made at PEJU?

Sara Fowler has been the winemaker at PEJU for the past 17 harvests, and we are so proud to have her leading our winemaking team. Sara has maintained our commitment to crafting wines of distinction which has been the core of our winemaking philosophy. We craft a collection of small lot and single vineyard wines available only through our wine club and tasting room.

I have a few favorite wines that we make at PEJU, the first of which is our Sauvignon Blanc. It’s super refreshing with bright tropical fruit notes, and never fails as my go-to wine on a pool day. My second favorite is our Cabernet Franc. Not many wineries make a single varietal Cabernet Franc, but we’ve been making one since the early 90s, and it’s a showstopper!

Can you talk about the food program at PEJU? What experiences do you offer and how do you pair them with your wines? What’s a typical menu?

Every Saturday, we roll out the red carpet for our club members with an exclusive wine and food pairing experience. It’s a special treat where we showcase our recently released Club Exclusive wines. The menu changes every quarter to keep things fresh and exciting. If you’re stopping by our tasting room, we’ve got a fantastic cheese plate available daily that pairs perfectly with our wines.

Because let’s be real, wine and cheese are a match made in heaven. We also offer a delightful Chef Sampler in our tasting room, featuring three delectable bites that are perfect for sharing. With a rotating menu that showcases Chef Nic’s creative and fun culinary creations, I always look forward to it.

We also have our 40th Celebration Series of Events taking place this summer, and on July 21st we have “The Art of Truffles Unveiled”—a multi-course Australian winter truffle dining experience I’m hosting in the vineyard with celebrity Chef Ken Frank and the American Truffle Association.

What else is new at PEJU? Can you talk about the new Museum Experience and what guests have to look forward to?

In the spirit of bringing the past with us into the future, we are unveiling a new immersive museum this summer called “Revolution and Evolution: The Peju Story.” This self-guided tour will feature family photography compiled by my mother—including archives of my sister and I growing up on the estate—vintage memorabilia, trends of the time, and more. The free experience will cover PEJU from its inception in 1983 through to present day operations and beyond.