Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Liberty School Merlot has a deep opaque ruby-black color. Bright blackberry and blueberry aromas fill the glass with an intriguing note of Rainier cherry alongside lavender, clove and a kiss of vanilla. On the palate, the dark fruit play out in concert with the cherry flavor, while accentuated by sweet vanilla and toasted oak. It’s firm yet velvety tannins are balanced by mouthwatering acidity and a long, silky finish.
About Liberty School – Hope Family Wines
There are many elements of history that go into Liberty School wines. From the one-room schoolhouse that serves as it’s namesake to the childhood friends now collaborating as the winemaking team, Liberty School is truly something special. The long tradition behind Liberty School has made it a favorite of the Hope Family Wines labels. A reflection of America’s roots in hard work, Liberty School wines are meant to reward and elevate the everyday. Reliable and accessible, it’s a wine that compliments any occasion, a wine to be savored, enjoyed, and shared. Our passion is making wines that make your life better.
Live Your Roots
Made by and for those who carve their own path, Liberty School represents our version of the American Dream. It awakens the spirit in all of us to be and do better, not because we have to, but because we want to. It is this spirit of independence and innovation that led generations that came before us to farm grapes in the once-unknown region of Paso Robles, laying the groundwork for what would become a world-class wine region.
Liberty School honors our family’s roots with an undying dedication to making quality wines. Wines that are made to be shared and enjoyed with the family we are born with and the family we choose. We make wines for those who stay true to their roots and embrace the journey in life.
While our techniques have evolved and refined over the years, some things have remained very much the same: Austin Hope’s commitment to success, aversion to failure, and stewardship of the land are the same principles that his grandfather instilled into the family business four decades and three generations ago.
About Austin Hope
In 1978, a family of four arrived in Paso Robles to start a new life. At the time, fewer than a thousand acres of grapes had been planted in the region. Chuck Hope left his job in beverage distribution to become a farmer, settling his family, planting apples and grapes, and learning how to farm in Paso. In time, the Hope family became one of the area’s top grape growers.
Austin Hope grew up working alongside his father, inheriting his love and respect for the region. He led the family’s move into winemaking in 1995, and further exploration of Paso began. In 2000, Austin created the Austin Hope label, making very small productions of Rhône varietals. These wines are produced from vines grown at the family’s estate property, where soils and climate have similarities with Rhône Valley vineyards. They remain small yet extraordinary productions. Each bottling holds onto a unique intensity and softness, expressing a special side of Paso.
Paso Robles is one of California’s most pastoral domains. Its name roughly translates to “Passageway of Oak,” and indeed, majestic trees mark the landscape. Amongst the rolling hills and native habitat lie manicured vineyards where ideal soil exists for farming Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon. Dry, warm conditions are typical, yet evenings are chilled by a breeze from the Pacific coast just 18 miles to the west, allowing fruit to ripen into luxurious richness. At nearly 1,000 feet, soils are elevated sea beds where shell fossils are often found.
The Hope family has been farming in Paso Robles for more than 30 years. When they arrived in this barely-discovered region, they planted apples and grapes. Little did they know that the rolling, oak-studded terrain of Paso Robles would one day become a viticultural terroir of significance and one of the top winegrowing regions for quality red wine within the Central Coast.
