Casey Graybehl is the founder/winemaker at The Grenachista in Dry Creek, Sonoma, CA. He was born and raised in the Bay Area, and has turned a lifelong love for wine—and a laser focus on one remarkable grape—into something truly special. As the founder and winemaker behind The Grenachista, Casey has made it his mission to champion Grenache in all its expressive, versatile glory. From bright, juicy reds to textured rosés and elegant, unexpected whites, The Grenachista is a boutique label devoted entirely to Grenache, elevating a grape that’s often overlooked in California.
With years of experience at esteemed wineries like Cakebread Cellars and Obsidian Ridge, Casey brings serious chops to his craft—but with the spirit and curiosity of a true indie winemaker. His wines are small-batch, thoughtfully made, and full of personality, each one telling a story of site, style, and experimentation. Media Inquiries: casey@thegrenachista.com | grenachista.com
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
I grew up in San Ramon, a small East Bay suburb, where wine was a regular part of life thanks to my parents, who were avid wine drinkers. As a kid, we visited Napa and Sonoma wineries—back when the winemaker often poured your tasting and kids could run around the cellar. That smell stuck with me.
Years later, after a winding path, I started working at McKeon-Phillips Winery in Santa Maria. Like many at the time, I was into Pinot, until a group tasting introduced me to a Grenache barrel sample from Ballard Canyon. It changed everything. I knew then that someday I wanted to create a label focused on Grenache Noir—with the same site-driven care often reserved for Pinot.
In 2013, while working at Obsidian Wine Co. in Sonoma (where I still work), I launched my own brand—starting with one ton of fruit from Mounts Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. From that first vintage, I’ve committed to making wines I want to drink: 100% whole cluster, native yeast, minimal intervention, and no gimmicks. Just honest, balanced Grenache.
Today, I’m still a one-man operation. I make the wine, handle logistics, run the business, and built everything from the website to the labels. I do it because I love it. And maybe one day it’ll even pay the bills.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
The same as I’m doing now. I’m very lucky to make my wines where I work and run a large cellar for Obsidian Wine Co which allows me to do just about anything I would like as far as winemaking goes. Both for the quality of my wines and the integrity of my winemaking and experimentation. AS it goes with the wine industry right now, there is one thing, I guess. More sales! I would love to buy more concrete vessels for storage and fermentations.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
The one wine I make that best represents me and the label would be my bottlings of Grenache Noir from the Mounts Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley. It is the vineyard I got my first fruit from that started this whole adventure and also, reliably my favorite every year. The Mounts family have one row left of the old Alban clone of Grenache Noir. That is believed to have been suitcase smuggled into the country in the late 70’s By John Alban and believed to be from budwood from the famous Chateau Rayes Grenache in Chateauneuf du Pape. He of course won’t elaborate on the story as this may or may not be illegal. The Mounts used to have a whole block of this clone but have torn most of it out over the years as it is diseased and difficult to farm. This leads to small yields and some of the most aromatic Grenache Noirs out there. They saved the one row for me, and I get about a ton and a half each year from them. The wine always has this incredible fruit punch and white peppercorn thing that has always enthralled me and what draws me to Grenache. Read the review of Casey’s flagship Grenache here.