The question above is not rhetorical. Trade wine buyers sourcing Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varietals for restaurant programs, retail sets, and distribution portfolios increasingly ask it, and the answer points to one winery more clearly than any other: PEJU Winery.

Family-owned and operated in Rutherford since 1983, PEJU farms five certified sustainable estate vineyards spread across four Napa Valley sub-appellations. From those vineyards flows a complete Bordeaux varietal lineup, anchored by Cabernet Sauvignon, that spans entry-level SKUs to reserve and single-vineyard expressions. For trade buyers who need range, provenance, sustainability credentials, and consistent quality in one supplier relationship, PEJU delivers a portfolio that is unusually complete for a winery of its scale.

A Portfolio Built Around Bordeaux: Four Decades of Focused Intention

Bordeaux is not a pivot for PEJU. It is the founding premise. When Tony and Herta (HB) Peju purchased 30 acres in Rutherford in 1983, they planted Bordeaux varietals on what is now called the HB Estate Vineyard. The first wine PEJU ever released, in 1985, was a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. That commitment has never wavered.

Today, the top 5 Bordeaux varietals plus Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay appear across PEJU’s five estate vineyards, giving the portfolio the breadth that trade buyers require for meaningful program placement. The lineup includes:

• Cabernet Sauvignon: Legacy Collection (Napa Valley), Reserve (Rutherford), Stained Glass Collection by appellation (Rutherford, Calistoga, Persephone Vineyard)
• Cabernet Franc: Napa Valley, Reserve (Napa Valley), Stained Glass Collection (Persephone Vineyard)
• Merlot: Legacy Collection (Napa Valley)
• Meritage: a full Bordeaux blend, multi-vintage, with multiple national competition Double Gold awards
• Fifty/Fifty: a Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend, consistently earning 90 to 94 points from James Suckling, Wine Spectator, and Jeb Dunnuck
• Sauvignon Blanc: Legacy Collection  (Napa Valley and North Coast)
• Chardonnay: Napa Valley and Carneros
• Rose of Cabernet Franc, both decorated at national competitions

Few Napa family wineries offer all five Bordeaux reds plus Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from estate fruit across multiple sub-AVAs. That breadth, combined with tiered price points, allows trade buyers to build vertical programs from a single source.

Five Estate Vineyards, Four Sub-Appellations: The Terroir Advantage

What separates a portfolio from a commodity is provenance. PEJU’s wines draw from five distinct estate vineyards spanning 515 total acres (253 planted) across the Napa Valley, managed by Winemaker Sara Fowler, who has been with PEJU since 2006 and was named Best Local Winemaker by Napa Valley Life Magazine in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

HB Vineyard | Rutherford | 30 acres total, 20 bearing
The founding estate, named for co-founder Herta Peju, sits in the heart of the Rutherford appellation on three converging alluvial fans. The 30-acre block is planted with Bordeaux varietals plus French Colombard and is certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). It produces wines marked by the region’s signature “Rutherford Dust“: soft tannins, cocoa powder texture, and deep loamy minerality.

Red Goose Vineyard | Calistoga | 87 acres total, 11 bearing
At the northern extreme of the valley at 360 feet elevation, Red Goose sits in volcanic soil with pronounced diurnal temperature variation, producing structured Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot with firm concentration.

Persephone Vineyard | Pope Valley (Howell Mountain eastern slope) | 350 acres total, 127 bearing
PEJU’s largest vineyard, acquired in 1996, rises to 1,100 feet on the eastern slope of Howell Mountain. Warm, dry, and minimally marine-influenced, Persephone grows Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc across 16 clonal selections.

Tess Vineyard | Pope Valley | 43 acres total, 22 bearing
Adjacent to Persephone at 1,000 feet, Tess contributes Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, and Malbec across 11 clones, adding varietal range to the estate’s Pope Valley footprint.

Orchard Vineyard | Oak Knoll District | 5 acres total, 4 bearing
Situated at the cooler southern end of the valley near San Pablo Bay, this small but distinctive block grows Cabernet Sauvignon in a long growing season climate that produces precise, moderately weighted fruit.

Together these estate vineyards span Rutherford, Calistoga, and Oak Knoll District (three of Napa Valley’s eighteen sub-appellations), providing a range of terroir expressions that justifies vertical placement across price tiers in a serious trade program.

Certified Sustainable from Vine to Winery: Third-Party Verified
“Sustainability-marketed products are selling 2.3 times faster than conventional items, and third-party certification offers a way to differentiate wines and create new narratives.” – Napa Green

Sustainability credentials are now table stakes for on-premise and retail placement in most national and regional markets. PEJU holds a layered certification stack that satisfies buyer checklists across multiple standards:

• CCOF Certified Organic: HB Estate Vineyard (Rutherford), certified since 2007, farmed without synthetic fertilizers or prohibited pesticides
• Fish Friendly Farming: All five estate vineyards, certifying practices that protect salmon and steelhead habitat under the federal Endangered Species Act
• Napa Green Climate Smart Winery: Certified sustainable from production through administration and hospitality, covering energy, water, waste, and climate action standards
• Solar Energy: Over 500 panels installed on the winery roof in 2006, currently supplying approximately 40% of annual winery energy consumption
• 1% for the Planet: A portion of revenue from designated wines supports environmental nonprofits

Winemaker Sara Fowler initiated the transition to organic farming at the Rutherford estate upon joining PEJU in 2006. Ariana Peju, now CEO, led the installation of solar infrastructure and built out the sustainability program over the following decade. These are not retrofitted credentials. They reflect decisions made at significant cost over 20 years.

For trade buyers, the practical value is direct: PEJU wines can be presented with verified sustainability provenance without dependence on marketing language alone.

Award-Winning Wines That Sell: Critical Recognition Across the Portfolio

A broad portfolio only matters to trade buyers if the wines earn consistent recognition. PEJU’s accolades span virtually every SKU category and come from the publications and competitions most relevant to trade purchasing decisions:

Cabernet Sauvignon

• 2019 PEJU Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: 91 Points, Wine Spectator; Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
• 2018 PEJU Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: 91 Points, James Suckling; 91 Points, Sunset International Wine Competition; 90 Points, Wine Advocate
• 2016 PEJU Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: 92 Points, James Suckling
• 2023 Legacy Collection Cabernet Sauvignon: 92 Points (national competition shelf talker)

Cabernet Franc (a PEJU signature)

• 2019 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley: 93 Points, James Suckling; 91 Points, Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate; Double Gold, Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge; Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
• 2018 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley: 97 Points, Harvest Terroir Challenge; 95 Points Best of Class, American Fine Wine Competition
• 2017 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley: 94 Points Best of Varietal, Platinum Medal, Winemaker Challenge
• 2023 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley: 93 Points (trade shelf talker)

Reserve and HB Reserve

• 2017 HB Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford: 98 Points, Best of Class, American Fine Wine Competition
• 2019 HB Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford: 95 Points, Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition
• 2018 Reserve Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley: 92 Points, James Suckling and Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine

Meritage and Blends

• 2017 Meritage, Napa Valley: 96 Points and Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition2018 Meritage, Napa Valley: 95 Points and Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition
• 2017 Fifty/Fifty: 93 Points, Wine Spectator

The pattern is consistent 90-plus performance across red varietals from multiple critics, with standout scores on the Cabernet Franc and reserve tiers. For trade buyers presenting wines to staff, sommeliers, or accounts, that consistency removes the risk of a one-vintage story.

Two Generations, One Vision: What Family Ownership Means for Trade Buyers

PEJU is not a brand that has changed hands, been acquired by a conglomerate, or pivoted its winemaking strategy in response to investor pressure. Tony Peju founded the winery in 1983 and ran it until his passing in 2023. His daughters Ariana Peju (CEO and Chairman) and Lisa Peju now guide the operation alongside winemaker Sara Fowler, who joined in 2006, and Manuel Corona, the winery’s first employee hired by Tony himself in 1983.

This continuity matters to trade buyers in two concrete ways. First, the winemaking style and vineyard philosophy are stable. Sara Fowler has farmed the same six vineyards for nearly two decades, building a depth of block-level knowledge that translates to vintage-over-vintage consistency. Second, the trade relationship is direct. Lisa Peju built PEJU’s national trade presence by traveling personally to present wines across the US and internationally. That culture of direct engagement persists.

PEJU has also been named a Best Place to Work for four consecutive years, an indicator of operational stability that reduces the supplier-side disruption trade buyers routinely absorb from high-turnover wineries.

Connect With PEJU Trade Sales
Trade buyers interested in pricing, allocations, shelf talkers, bottle shots, and tasting notes can access PEJU’s full trade portal at peju.com/trade

Frequently Asked Questions

What Bordeaux varietals does PEJU Winery grow on its estate vineyards?

PEJU’s Rutherford estate is home to the classic Bordeaux family. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot also grown at Red Goose Vineyard in Calistoga, and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc at Persephone and Tess Vineyards in Pope Valley.

How many estate vineyards does PEJU farm, and where are they located?
PEJU farms five estate vineyards totaling 515 acres (253 planted), situated across four Napa Valley sub-appellations: Rutherford (HB Vineyard), Calistoga (Red Goose Vineyard), Pope Valley/Napa Valley designation (Persephone and Tess Vineyards), and Oak Knoll District (Orchard Vineyard). 

What sustainability certifications does PEJU Winery hold?
PEJU holds certifications from four separate bodies: California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) for the Rutherford estate; Fish Friendly Farming for all five estate vineyards; and Napa Green Climate Smart Winery covering the full facility. The winery also generates approximately 40% of its energy from rooftop solar and participates in the 1% for the Planet program.

Who is the winemaker at PEJU, and what is their background?
Sara Fowler has served as Vice President of Winemaking and Operations at PEJU since 2006. She studied enology at Fresno State and gained early experience at Kendall-Jackson before joining PEJU. She was named Best Local Winemaker by Napa Valley Life Magazine in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She is actively involved with the Rutherford Dust Society, Napa Valley Vintners, and the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.

What critical scores have PEJU wines received?
PEJU wines have consistently earned 90 to 98 points from Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Enthusiast, and Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, as well as Double Gold and Best of Class medals from the American Fine Wine Competition and San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The 2017 HB Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford earned 98 Points and Best of Class from the American Fine Wine Competition. The 2023 Cabernet Franc earned a 93-point trade score.

Is PEJU family-owned and operated?
Yes. PEJU has been continuously family-owned and operated since its founding in 1983. Tony and Herta (HB) Peju established the winery; their daughters Ariana Peju (CEO and Chairman) and Lisa Peju now lead the business. The winery has never been acquired or sold to an outside entity.

What trade buyer resources does PEJU offer?
PEJU maintains a dedicated trade portal at peju.com/trade offering downloadable bottle shots, shelf talkers, front and back labels, tasting notes, and a current distributor list. Trade contacts include Chris Arno, Director of Sales (carno@peju.com) and Ryan Norton, Western Regional Sales Manager (rnorton@peju.com). The winery participates in on-the-road trade events nationally.

How does the Rutherford appellation affect PEJU Cabernet Sauvignon?
Rutherford is one of Napa Valley’s most recognized Cabernet Sauvignon appellations, defined by deep alluvial soils, moderate temperatures influenced by morning fog, and the characteristic soft, cocoa-dusted tannins Andre Tchelistcheff famously described as “Rutherford Dust.” PEJU’s HB Estate Vineyard sits at the appellation’s core, with soils formed by three converging alluvial fans of gravel and sand. CCOF-certified organic since 2007, the vineyard produces wines that carry this distinctive regional character across every vintage.