Fall - 2022

C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 147 Galante Vineyard’s property was originally a cattle ranch. Jack Galante planted these vines in the early 1980s. The Cachagua area is remote and sparsely populated and offers spectacular views in addition to its ideal grape-growing climate. Photo: Gary Crabbe/Enlightened Images/Alamy Stock Photo appellation.” Dutch by birth, Ben—who passed away in 2019—was a race car driver, world traveler, hotelier and was highly passionate about wine. “Ben came to Monterey to race at Laguna Seca and golf at Pebble Beach,” says Bernardus vineyard manager Matt Shea. “He fell in love with the area and decided this was where he wanted to make wine.” An often-told story has Ben searching Carmel Valley for land to pur- chase for his vineyard. A lifelong Cachagua character named Pablo was hitchhiking one day when a dapper European gentleman picked him up in his Porsche. “Ben spent sev- eral hours driving around with Pablo, who showed him the area. He got the inside scoop—from a hitchhiker.” Matt says that the Carmel Valley AVA is the place to be. “This is a great climate to produce Bordeaux. The Cachagua bowl has a funnel at both ends. It captures and concentrates warm air during the day and cools off at night.There’s not much disease or insect pressure.” Since its inception, the Carmel Valley AVA has been producing award-winning wines, beginning with a gold medal at the Orange County Fair Wine Competition for Durney’s 1978 Cabernet. Today, the region continues to nur- ture the grapes that are made into wines that are recognized the world over as some of the best California has to offer. For more information on Carmel Valley AVA wines, please visit www.georiswine.com, bernardus.com , www.galantevineyards.com and www.montereywines.org. For a complete list of Carmel Valley wine tasting rooms, visit www.carmelvalleyroadco.com. The padres who followed Father Junipero Serra, founder of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (Carmel Mission), recognized the region’s suitability for nurturing red wine grapes and established vineyards here in the nineteenth century.