Tahbilk has some 28 hectares of Cabernet which have consistantly yielded wines of considerable richness and character. Younger vines which are the progeny of this older rootstock form the backbone of fruit. Grapes are crushed in the Tahbilk winery's Pit, the must is pumped into the original open oak vats where cultivated yeasts are introduced. Carbon dioxide, which is formed during fermentation, forces skins, the cap, to rise to the top. Twice daily the juice from the bottom is pumped over the top of the cap which serves to extract colour, flavour and tannins. The final wine is treated to maturation for up to eighteen months in a selection of 100 year old French oak barrels.