Dear Ambassadors, Friends, and Family,

What a great ride! It’s hard to believe that we moved to San Francisco in 1985, 37 years ago, and with the dream to make wine, food and hospitality our life work. Yes, the cliché ‘time flies when you are having fun’ applies in spades. Our first harvest was in 1988 and I remember all the excitement and thrill of picking the grapes, making a barrel of wine, and enjoying the beautiful fall with our new friends in California. Aldo was our Springer Spaniel vineyard dog who enjoyed the Sonoma landscape as much as we did, and Cheryl worked many hours as a radiologist in order to support our venture.

Much has changed and not much has changed in 37 years. However, we still have excitement for the harvest and enjoyment of the beautiful fall colors, the smells and changing weather. Harvest continues to challenge us with the logistics of finding crews to pick the fruit and make the wine. We fret over the weather forecast, praying for moderate temperatures with no rainfall, and we watch the news to be alerted for fires. Our current vineyard dog, Oreo, continues in Aldo’s footsteps as he enjoys the countryside.  What hasn’t changed is the camaraderie with our neighbors and staff, our deepfelt commitment, and the joy that we share for harvesting what we have raised all year. There is always the hope that this will be a great vintage… and, maybe our best vintage ever.

Harvest is just the beginning. The wines are put into barrels for the upbringing (elevage) which takes one to two years depending on the wine. Rogelio, our winemaker, and his crew take responsibility for every barrel giving the wine it’s best potential. Much goes on both technically and artistically to affect the outcome. In the end, however, we get the greatest satisfaction in our tasting room where we get to meet you, taste the wines together, and to make new friends. Many of you have met Carla Jeffries, our GM and Managing Director, who challenges herself and the hospitality crew to make every visitor experience personal and memorable.

As we present you with our latest releases, I am often asked which is my favorite wine. The answer is all of them! Each and every wine has been chosen with intention and can shine brightly given the right company, food and mood.  Your Ambassador case is an opportunity to discover your favorites as you share with your friends and loved ones.

All of us at Blue Rock appreciate the support that you give us which allows us to strive for greatness. We hope that you enjoy these wines and will come to visit us so that we can extend our friendship.

Cheers,

Kenny, Carla, and the Blue Rock Team