Open 10:00 to 6:00
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 16, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
Some of you in the consulting industry may be thinking to yourself, “Peju? Isn’t he my offshore interfaces developer?” He very well may be, but it’s also the name of a winery situated along Hwy 29 in Napa Valley. If you’ve never been to the winery, you’ve almost certainly noticed it on the east side of Hwy 29. It sports a large tower (like a fatter version of Mondavi’s), and interesting curved trees that overhang the service drive next to it. I mentioned in my review of Alpha Omega that it is one of the few places open past 5pm along Hwy 29. Peju is another such place. It had been a number of years since I’d been to the winery, and so we tacked it on to the end of a tasting day during our April 2012 visit to Napa.
Coming in to the tasting, I had fond memories of Peju making an excellent Zinfandel and Reserve Cabernet, as well as having fairly affordable wines. Inflation has stung the winery, though, and prices have drastically increased over the last 5-7 years. One thing that has stayed consistent at Peju is a healthy array of tasting options. We were escorted through the large tasting room (the tower room) into a beautiful side room that featured a dazzling polished marble floor. Our host, a friendly gent but not much of a salesman (he had a vibe that suggested “I still live at home with my mother at age 50”), worked our group of four through a litany of Peju wines. We tried (in order): the 2007 Merlot, 2007 Cabernet, 2007 Reserve Cabernet, 2009 FIFTY/FIFTY (Cab/Merlot), and the 2006 H.B Cabernet, their high-end reserve Cabernet. A pretty nice selection of big and reserve wines, huh?
We still had work to do though. “Do you guys like Port?” our host asks. It was 5:45 – of course we liked Port! He poured the Delicias Zinfandel Port for us. It was around this time that we heard the sounds of an acoustic guitar ringing out from the tower room.
“I found out a long tiiiiime ago…what a woman can do to your soul…”
I went to investigate and got there just in time to chime in to the chorus of The Eagles’ Peaceful Easy Feeling, played on guitar by what turned out to be one of the tasting room staffers. It was a nice touch at the end of the day, and what’s better than a sing-a-long after a bunch of wine?
Speaking of wine, Peju wasn’t done pouring for us. I returned to find the 2009 Cabernet Franc in my glass, a solid effort from the winery. We were ready to wrap things up. The tasting at Peju costs $20, but it’s refunded with a bottle purchase of $30 or more. Scanning the list, I noticed my old friend the Peju Zinfandel at a modest $30. “You don’t happen to have any of the Zinfandel open, do you?” I asked. Well of course he did! It was still a winner for me, and at a net $10, an easy purchase to make.
Just in case we hadn’t had enough wine yet, we got one more: the “Provence”, Peju’s Red & White blend patio pounder. We certainly weren’t finishing on a high note wine-wise, but the array of wines poured (basically all of their best wines), the surprise sing-a-long, and the friendliness of our host at the end of a long day garners top scores for atmosphere at Peju. The wines were good, for the most part, but unfortunately the prices have gotten a bit out of control for the quality of the wine. The Estate Cab is now over $100 ($105) and the H.B. Cabernet is $175. Even the FIFTY/FIFTY sold for a whopping $85. Compared to where I remember things (reserve Cab in the $60 range), this was quite a jump and the only downside to our stop.
Coming in to the tasting, I had fond memories of Peju making an excellent Zinfandel and Reserve Cabernet, as well as having fairly affordable wines. Inflation has stung the winery, though, and prices have drastically increased over the last 5-7 years. One thing that has stayed consistent at Peju is a healthy array of tasting options. We were escorted through the large tasting room (the tower room) into a beautiful side room that featured a dazzling polished marble floor. Our host, a friendly gent but not much of a salesman (he had a vibe that suggested “I still live at home with my mother at age 50”), worked our group of four through a litany of Peju wines. We tried (in order): the 2007 Merlot, 2007 Cabernet, 2007 Reserve Cabernet, 2009 FIFTY/FIFTY (Cab/Merlot), and the 2006 H.B Cabernet, their high-end reserve Cabernet. A pretty nice selection of big and reserve wines, huh?
We still had work to do though. “Do you guys like Port?” our host asks. It was 5:45 – of course we liked Port! He poured the Delicias Zinfandel Port for us. It was around this time that we heard the sounds of an acoustic guitar ringing out from the tower room.
I went to investigate and got there just in time to chime in to the chorus of The Eagles’ Peaceful Easy Feeling, played on guitar by what turned out to be one of the tasting room staffers. It was a nice touch at the end of the day, and what’s better than a sing-a-long after a bunch of wine?
Speaking of wine, Peju wasn’t done pouring for us. I returned to find the 2009 Cabernet Franc in my glass, a solid effort from the winery. We were ready to wrap things up. The tasting at Peju costs $20, but it’s refunded with a bottle purchase of $30 or more. Scanning the list, I noticed my old friend the Peju Zinfandel at a modest $30. “You don’t happen to have any of the Zinfandel open, do you?” I asked. Well of course he did! It was still a winner for me, and at a net $10, an easy purchase to make.
Just in case we hadn’t had enough wine yet, we got one more: the “Provence”, Peju’s Red & White blend patio pounder. We certainly weren’t finishing on a high note wine-wise, but the array of wines poured (basically all of their best wines), the surprise sing-a-long, and the friendliness of our host at the end of a long day garners top scores for atmosphere at Peju. The wines were good, for the most part, but unfortunately the prices have gotten a bit out of control for the quality of the wine. The Estate Cab is now over $100 ($105) and the H.B. Cabernet is $175. Even the FIFTY/FIFTY sold for a whopping $85. Compared to where I remember things (reserve Cab in the $60 range), this was quite a jump and the only downside to our stop.
Recommended wine: The Zinfandel was still good for the money; the Cabernet and Bordeaux blends were good, but super pricey compared to my last visit.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.50 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.50 |  VALUE | 3.25 |
 OVERALL | 4.06 | ||
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