Our Team
While we strive to make each vintage better than the previous, we also encourage our small but brave team to think beyond the traditional, and craft new, experiential wines – we are not bound by tradition.
– CAST
+Jack & Ann Seifrick, Proprietors
+Ashley Herzberg, Winemaker
+Tony Ochoa, Cellar Master
+Juan Soriano, Farming Director
+Barrett Eichstaedt, Operations Manager
+Cayla Friesz, Assistant Operations Manager
+Amanda Lorenzen, Business Administrator
+Kimmy Bailey, Tasting Room Associate
+Chris Ferdinandson, Tasting Room Associate
+Courtney McCahon, Tasting Room Associate
+Joe Opel, Tasting Room Associate
+Nico De La Cruz, Operations Associate
+Duke The Winery Dog, Canine Concierge
Jack & Ann Seifrick, Proprietors
One evening back in 2011, our founders were searching for the perfect plot of land to open their new winery. Sitting with a bottle of wine, watching the sunset over the vineyards of a lush site in Dry Creek Valley, the group found themselves spellbound by the scenery – and the name “CAST” was born. Nine years and thousands of bottles later (produced; not consumed), the sight still stops us in our tracks. And when you visit, we know it’ll do the same to you.
Jack & Ann Seifrick can be contacted at [email protected].
Ashley Herzberg, Winemaker
Ashley Herzberg, believes that creative explorations in traditional, as well as novel, wines promote connections between classic and emerging wine enthusiasts. Leveraging her chemical engineering background and more than 15 years of winemaking experience, she encourages new techniques that explore the variety of world-class fruit available here in Sonoma County.
Ashley graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Chemical Engineering and the intention to go to medical school. After discovering that her passion was not in medicine, she decided to come to Sonoma County and work a harvest in a winery lab. One harvest quickly turned into an all-encompassing passion and love of winemaking with all the science, art, chemistry, engineering and fun behind it!
She started as a Lab Technician at Owl Ridge and then moved to Lab Manager, benefiting from valuable mentoring by some of the top Pinot Noir vintners in California such as Merry Edwards, Greg Lafollette, Anthony Austin and Scot Covington. Because it was a custom-crush facility with over 40 clients at the time, Owl Ridge provided her with the opportunity to gain the perspective and knowledge that would prove invaluable in her career.
In 2007 she became Enologist and then Assistant Winemaker at Mauritson Winery. She branched out on her own as a consulting winemaker in 2011, making wine for small family owned wineries in Sonoma County. Winemaking isn’t just a job for her; it’s her life. Her two young children are generally traipsing right behind her as she samples vineyard blocks. She loves to garden, cook and travel to wine regions all over the world in her spare time.
Read more about Women’s impact on local winemaking here!
Ashley Herzberg can be contacted at [email protected].
Tony Ochoa, Cellar Master
Tony was born and raised in the Napa Valley, and has been working in the wine industry for 19 years in a variety of leadership roles at some very prestigious cellars. He studied winemaking and viticulture at Napa Valley College.
A father of three, when Tony is not working in the cellar managing everything from harvest to bottling, he is spending time with his family, enjoying most sports, grilling, his wife’s cooking, and new eating adventures. Tony has a passion for all forms of music and keeps the cellar hopping!
When you’re at CAST Wines enjoying your winery tour, please say hello to Tony and ask him how our small, boutique winery makes its delicious hand-crafted wines.
Tony Ochoa can be contacted at [email protected].
Juan Soriano, Farming Director
Nobody at CAST has been here longer than Juan Soriano. We’d love to clone him a few times! He’s quite literally one of the most versatile and conscientious contributors on our team. Originally from the Oaxaca region of Mexico, Juan returns to visit his 100 year old mother there each year. Juan began work with CAST helping crush our very first vintage in 2012, before we even had a winery. He joined the construction crew to help build our facilities, then served as cellar assistant, master gardener and now oversees our Grey Palm Vineyard, where he literally tends to each vine by hand multiple times throughout the season. It’s a family affair as well, with Juan’s wife Berta and daughters all having participated in various capacities at CAST. You will know Juan when you see him – he’s the one in purple, working tirelessly, always with a happy smile.
Juan Soriano can be contacted at [email protected].
Barrett Eichstaedt, Operations Manager
Barrett has over 15 years’ experience in the Sonoma County food and wine industry beginning in wine shops and into winery tasting rooms, production, cellar work, compliance, reporting, and management. A thirst for knowledge led him to achieve the first level Sommelier certification as soon as he turned twenty-one and the Level 3 Award with distinction from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Master of Wine program. As a restaurant General Manager, he experienced the challenges of enterprise operations and an alternate perspective of the wine business interfacing with many small producers, designing wine cocktails, and carefully curating wine lists. This history reflects his passion for food & wine pairings and love of cooking and fine cuisine.
Barrett holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration concentrated on operations and supply chain management and will soon complete an MBA focused on project management. Barrett is a native of Northern California, born in San Francisco and residing in Sonoma County for more than fifteen years. He has diverse experience including professional PADI divemaster and rescue diver certifications and years working for LucasArts in the videogame industry. He loves spending time with his wife and daughter as well as their large extended families. Travelling, an insatiable appetite for all things outdoors and a passion for cooking tasty meals for family and friends fills his spare time.
Barrett Eichstaedt can be contacted at [email protected].
Cayla Friesz, Assistant Operations Manager
Cayla loves exploring new (and old) restaurants in Sonoma County, farmers markets, catching live shows, horseback riding, cooking, hiking, and rambling along the Coast. You will often find Cayla hula hooping at a local park, biking through town or with camera in hand, photographing her culinary creations, plants and wildlife.
Currently her favorite CAST wines are the DeBenedetti Chardonnay and 2021 Pét Nat of Pinot Noir.
Cayla Friesz can be contacted at [email protected].
Amanda Lorenzen, Business Administrator
Amanda is a Sonoma County native, born and raised in Petaluma. Amanda is a heads-down worker; inspired by her hardworking mother. Her twenty years of experience, and a degree in Human Resources and Customer Service bring a discipline and rigor to the CAST Organization.
Amanda Lorenzen can be contacted at [email protected].
Kimmy Bailey, Tasting Room Associate
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Kimmy shares a love for the beauty and grandeur of Sonoma County. After graduating with her BA in Journalism and Communications, she took her first opportunity for adventure by moving to Dubai, UAE. Living abroad for the past 7 years and traveling to over 60 different countries as an Emirates flight attendant, she’s believes there is no place like home. She loves meeting new people, swapping stories of adventure and of course enjoying wine (especially CAST Wines). She views wine and food as one of the great arts of humanity. Creating and maintaining relationships over food and wine is a strong bond. When Kimmy is not working, she is creating in her studio (aka the garage) with multiple mediums of art, gardening, cooking, writing and dancing around with her husband. Come visit and share stories with her.
Kimmy Bailey can be contacted at [email protected].
Chris Ferdinandson, Tasting Room Associate
Chris Ferdinandson was born and raised in beautiful Sonoma County. Chris was an arborist in the family business but was inspired by the natural beauty of the rolling vineyards stretching along the redwood groves to the ocean, to try his hand in the wine industry. And here he can focus more on his people-skills as opposed to his climbing skills.
In his free time Chris likes to spend time with his daughter, play basketball and golf. You can see him do stand up and host trivia shows all over the local area at night, he’s be happy to let you know where is next show will be!
His favorite CAST wine is Old Vine Zinfandel paired with a delicious summer-time BBQ.
Courtney McCahon, Tasting Room Associate
Courtney was born and raised in gorgeous Santa Cruz, California. Though she has five siblings, she is the one known for being the extroverted-free spirt in her family! Coming from five generations of floral growers, she’s a natural in the appreciation of farming and viticulture. Courtney lived in Perth, Australia, and loves to travel when she can. And even when she’s not traveling, Courtney loves being on the go, trying out new local restaurants, and cooking and pairing wines with some of her favorite foods like Italian, Japanese, and Mexican.
Courtney loves contributing to the CAST team with energy and creativity. Her most favorite part of working at CAST is hosting guests, she loves being around others and learning about their unique experiences. Courtney is inspired by CAST’s winemaker, Ashley, and her ability to try creative techniques to make a variety of delicious wines that she enjoys exploring. Currently, Courtney’s favorite CAST wine is the 2021 Pinot Noir Pet Nat!
She has a Pomeranian (child) named Zara, and graduated with her BA in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas. Rock Chalk!
Courtney is looking forward to hosting you here at CAST.
Courtney McCahon can be contacted at [email protected].
Joe Opel, Tasting Room Associate
Joe Opel, AKA “Saturday Joe,” is a native of Sonoma County and has, with his wife Hilary, raised three children here. During the week Joe works in corporate sales, but on the weekends, Joe stretches his creative side with culinary explorations and wine pairings. What started as a hobby of cooking for his friends and family, has evolved into a formalized approach to recipe development for CAST’s Wine of the Month Program.
“Having fun, laughing, traveling, and sharing experiences are what life is about! ” Joe is at the winery on Saturdays and looks forward to hosting you – please come by, introduce yourself, and let Joe know your favorite food and wine pairings!
Joes favorite CAST Wines are 2018 Incantation and 2019 Estate Zinfandel.
Nico De La Cruz, Operations Associate
Nico, born and raised in Sonoma County, never takes the seasonal beauty of the natural environment here beauty here for granted.
On his days off, he can be found hiking Riverfront, Armstong Woods, or Foothills in Windsor. On the right day, you might also spot Nico surfing Bodega Bay and Salmon Creek. Nico plays all forms of guitar, and jamming out with friends or listening to vinyl records (yes, he is an old soul) is a favorite past-time.
Nico is a dedicated, determined and highly energetic part of the CAST team. You can usually find him running around the tasting room, in the Library, assembling shipments, and doing many of the little touches that make CAST experiences so special.
He’s excited to grow his wine knowledge to further his career in the wine industry and to absorb the culture of wine and why people are so drawn to it. His long-term aspirations are in digital design and filmmaking and is currently attending SRJC.
Nico De La Cruz can be contacted at [email protected].
Duke The Winery Dog, Canine Concierge
Duke, the Polish hound officially arrived at CAST Wines to fulfill his dream of becoming a winery dog in August of 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. From guiding guests on tours to walking the grounds and saying hello to guests in our Tasting Room, he takes his work very seriously. He does also make sure to take breaks for belly rubs or a nice ear scratch throughout the day.
Be sure to say hello to Duke should you run into him on the CAST Estate and he will be sure to greet you with plenty of enthusiasm.
Stay in touch
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