Napa Valley
Casey Stringer, owner and winemaker at Stringer cellars, tells 672 Wine Club that he was raised in Wisconsin, “where wine is consumed, but not grown.” His mother’s side of the family is from California, and he grew up visiting his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins there always knowing he wanted to live in California when he was older. So, when it was time to start thinking about going to college, he set his sights on the University of San Francisco and Humboldt State. Between visits to the two schools, he fell in love with Napa and Sonoma but eventually attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barabara in 2020 and began working in Fiddlehead Winery’s cellar. He notes that since this moment he has “never stopped working in wine.”
Instead of owning his own vineyards, Casey prefers to source fruit from “approximately 20 acres of premier vineyards throughout California.” Some of those are Posten Crest in Calistoga, Holmes Ranch in Oakville (shared with Opus One and Nickel and Nickel), Ghost Block in Yountville (home of Ghost Block Wines), Rocky Ridge on Howell Mountain (shared with Ladera, Louis Martini, Moon Tsai, and Aloft), Stagecoach Vineyard, and Gloria Farm on Atlas Peak. In addition to sourcing the grapes Casey is the full-time winemaker.
Casey’s first vintage of Stringer Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was in 2016; in addition he makes four different single vineyard Cabs from Howell Mountain, Stagecoach, Holmes Ranch, and Ghost Block. He also makes Syrah from Bien Nacido and Broken Leg Vineyard as well as Chardonnay from Hyde in Napa and John Sebastiano in Sta. Rita Hills. Plus he makes small amount of Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc.
“The 2021 growing season was a fantastic in Napa Valley and all over California. The weather was ideal,” Casey tells us. “There were no dramatic heat spikes and warm breezy days during the fall. We were able to pick at ideal ripeness without nature dictating when we needed to pick,” he says, adding, “I think the 2021 is a perfect representation of the vintage in Napa Valley. It is bright and fresh, but still powerful. My ’21 Napa Cab is a blend of valley floor and mountain vineyard sites that really encompasses the personality of Napa as a whole.”
Casey’s wines are available directly from the winery and are also distributed in a handful of states. He has a tasting room that is open by appointment at the winery in Windsor or you can taste his wines at The Vault, a collective tasting room in Calistoga.
Stringer Cellars – 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon