Fall - 2022

An Appellation Like No Other The Bounty of Carmel Valley’s Unique Terroir B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD T HE PROVENANCE OF THE NAME “C ACHAGUA ” ( PRONOUNCED K A SHOU WA ) IS LOST TO THE SANDS OF TIME . “H OWEVER ,” ACCORDING TO THE M ONTEREY P ENINSULA R EGIONAL P ARK D ISTRICT , “ ITS USE GOES BACK TO THE 1850 S WITH THE SPELLING ‘J ASSAGUA ,’ WHICH LIKELY HAS NATIVE E SSELEN OR S PANISH INFLU - ENCES .” T ODAY , THE REGION IS KNOWN AS A TIGHTLY KNIT AND SOME - WHAT INSULAR COMMUNITY . I T ’ S ALSO THE NEXUS OF THE C ARMEL V ALLEY AVA, ONE OF M ONTEREY C OUNTY ’ S NINE UNIQUE WINE - GRAPE - GROWING REGIONS KNOWN AS A MERICAN V ITICULTURAL A REAS . T HE PADRES WHO FOLLOWED F ATHER J UNIPERO S ERRA , FOUNDER OF S AN C ARLOS B ORROMEO DE C ARMELO (C ARMEL M ISSION ), REC - OGNIZED THE REGION ’ S SUITABILITY FOR NURTUR ING RED WINE GRAPES AND ESTABLISHED VINEYARDS HERE IN THE NINETEENTH CEN - TURY . A CENTURY LATER , BUSINESSMAN B ILL D URNEY AND HIS WIFE , SCREENWRITER D OROTHY K INGSLEY , PURCHASED A 1,200- ACRE CAT - TLE RANCH IN THE C ACHAGUA AREA AS A FAMILY RETREAT , DUBBING THE PROPERTY “R ANCHO DEL S UEÑO ” (R ANCH OF D REAMS ). T HE COUPLE ’ S DAUGHTER , C HRISTINE D URNEY A RMANASCO RECALLS , “F ATHER TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY IN E UROPE FOR HIS BUSINESS AND HAD A GREAT APPRECIATION OF F INE WINES .” S HE CONTINUES , “H E THOUGHT ‘ WHY NOT PLANT A VINEYARD UP THERE AND TEST THE WATERS ?’ ” T HE D URNEY PATRIARCH DID JUST THAT IN 1968. H E APPROACHED HIS CHILDREN ONE DAY , HANDING THEM CUTTINGS TO PLANT IN A FIELD HE HAD PREPARED FOR THAT FIRST VINEYARD . “H E SAID , ‘I WANT YOU TO PLANT THESE ,’ ” C HRISTINE SAYS . “W E LAUGHED AND JOKED THAT IF WE PLANTED THEM UPSIDE DOWN , THEY WOULD GROW TO C HINA .T HAT WAS 1967.W E GOT SERIOUS THE FOLLOWING YEAR .” T HAT WAS THE INAUGURATION OF C ARMEL V ALLEY ’ S FIRST COMMERCIAL VINEYARD .