Peju Winery
Sara Fowler has worked in the wine industry for over 30 years. Sara started their career as a Cellar Rat at Kendall-Jackson in 1986 and then worked as an Assistant Winemaker at Quintessa from 1999 to 2002. Sara then joined Franciscan/Mt Veeder as an Associate Winemaker where they worked until 2006. During their time at Franciscan/Mt Veeder, they were promoted to the role of Associate Winemaker. In 2002, Sara also had a brief internship as a Harvest Winemaker Intern at Veramonte. In 2016, they joined Liana Estates as the Director of Winemaking and held that position until 2019. In the same year, they became the Director of Winemaking and Vineyards at Calmere. Currently, Sara is the VP of Winemaking and Operations at Peju Winery, a role they have held since August 2019.
Sara Fowler completed their Associate's Degree in General Studies from Mendocino College from 1993 to 1995. Sara then pursued further education at California State University, Fresno, where they obtained a degree in Enology with a minor in Business from 1996 to 1999. Sara'sarea of focus during their studies at Fresno State was Viticulture and Enology.
Peju Winery
When Tony and Herta “H.B.” Peju relocated to Rutherford from Los Angeles 40 years ago, they brought with them a vision of building a winery, an unwavering work ethic, and two young daughters who soaked in the couple’s entrepreneurial spirit. Established in 1983, Peju Winery is dedicated to crafting exceptional wines from organic and sustainably farmed estate vineyards in the Napa Valley. Still family owned and operated, Peju Winery has transformed over the past 40 years from a simple grape growing venture into two landmark wineries celebrated for elegant, complex, and balanced wines. The Rutherford Estate tasting room resides in a 50 foot tower built in 2003 that was envisioned by Tony Peju even before he purchased the estate property. More than the beautiful setting, year after year head winemaker Sara Fowler delivers award-winning wines. In addition to constantly evolving winemaking practices, Peju has continued to expand their green initiatives, which include an array of 720 solar panels at the Rutherford Estate, which supply ~35% of the winery’s energy. PEJU currently sustainably farms 275 planted acres of estate vineyards in Rutherford, Oak Knoll, Calistoga, Pope Valley and Carneros.