Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1314457
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 155 That experience led to a position with a large vineyard management company and then Croft Vineyards in the Willamette Valley, at the time an up-and-coming wine region. There, he focused on growing organic, ultra-premium grapes, much like he is doing today at Bernardus. Shea was lured back to Carmel Valley by Bernardus owner, the late Ben Pon, in 2006 and he couldn't be happier with that decision—except perhaps at the end of August 2020 when the Carmel Fire raged through Cachagua. A sunny October drive along Cachagua Road reveals the stark reality of the destruction that a wildfire can wreak. Entire mountains are devoid of life, covered instead with an oily black residue and splotches of white ash. The Carmel Fire was sparked by a freak lightning storm on Tuesday, August 21. Matt Shea had a front row seat for the hellish scene, and he knew what to do. "I spent the first day hardening the facility," he recalls. Shea has developed a robust fire preven- tion program. "I feel confident I can defend this place," he says. "I worked until dawn with CAL FIRE, creating fire breaks." Then came the proverbial calm before the storm. "That morn- ing was quiet until about noon when the heat and wind came up. The firebreaks broke; the hill behind us blew up. Visibility dropped to 30 feet, with dust devils spinning everywhere." Bernardus grows Cabernet, Merlot, Ca- bernet Franc, Petit Bordeaux and Malbec on this 34-acre plot. Nearly all the vines survived the Carmel Fire, though the sur- rounding hillside was heavily scorched.