Ruel Named President at Trefethen

The Trefethen Family announces the promotion of Jon Ruel to President of Trefethen Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley. Since his arrival at Trefethen as viticulturist in 2004, Jon has played a key role in furthering the company’s mission of making world-class wines that capture their estate vineyard’s unique terroir. In 2008, he assumed responsibility for guiding the entire process from soil to bottle when he was appointed Vice President of Operations and Director of Viticulture and Winemaking. He approaches winegrowing with a keen environmental awareness derived from his scientific background, which includes two M.S. degrees - one in Viticulture and Enology and another in Ecology.

The scope of Jon’s role at Trefethen expanded again in 2011 when he was named Chief Operating Officer and was tasked with managing all departments across the company. Ruel has also been committed to serving the local industry and is currently President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, having served on the board since 2007. He also served on the advisory council of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for 3 years.

In his own words: “I truly believe that great wine is the product of great terroir and a passionate team. We have both here at Trefethen.”  Ruel continues, “I got into this industry because I wanted to combine the intellectual demands of science with the satisfaction of crafting something tangible, something truly delicious. My viticulture training helped me understand the needs of the vines but it was only through my work at Trefethen that I began to realize the importance of every single person in the operation. My job has evolved from cultivating the vineyards to cultivating the success of our employees. I am honored to accept the role of president as we work together towards a bright future!” 

“Jon is entrusted to lead the company to new heights in our continued pursuit of excellence and we have every confidence in him,” say John and Janet Trefethen who remain as Chairman of the Board and CEO, respectively. For over forty years, the Trefethen family has been crafting estate grown wines exclusively from their vineyards in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley.  Their passion for excellence has been rewarded with growing distribution in 23 countries as well as numerous accolades both national and international.