It is also said that wines are made in the vineyard. To some extent that is true, the finer the grapes at the start, the finer the possibilities for the wine. However, the stylistic decisions of winemakers are the keys to great wines. Decisions on which yeast to use, fermentation temperatures, maceration of the fruit, which combination of barrels in which to age the wine, the length of barrel and bottle aging and finally the skill in blending all determine the quality of a wine.

Each fall when our grapes are delivered we begin the crush and embark on an 18 month journey to transform the grapes into a wine worthy of the Black Rock Vintners. For our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon we began with nine tons of Californian grapes. We nurtured, tested and crafted the wine till it finished the journey in the spring of 2006 when the fermentation and aging process has completed the transformation.