ATTLEBORO • NORWOOD • STURBRIDGE • SWANSEA
Liberty School
Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
There are times when researching a wine that I want to write about takes me down a rabbit hole and what should be a simple story of a good Cabernet from Paso Robles at a great price turns into a tale with a lot of twists and turns. You could almost say it is a long and windy road from Caymus to Paso. Cue Beatles music.
Charlie Wagner, the founder of Caymus Vineyards, considered by many as the most iconic Cabernet from California, attended Liberty School, a 1 – 8 primary school in Rutherford, California. Years later, Charlie and his wife, Lorna Belle Glos, built their first home using wood from that original Liberty Schoolhouse structure. In 1972, after years of growing grapes for other big-name wineries, Charlie and Lorna –along with their son Chuck – decided to go “all-in” by selling commercially the excellent quality “home” wines they had been making from grapes they were growing on their property. They called this wine Caymus, and it quickly became wildly popular. A few years later, they created a secondary wine to offer Cabernet Sauvignon with quality, consistency, and value from grapes that didn’t make the cut for Caymus. Wanting to commemorate the old schoolhouse, Charlie Wagner named the wine Liberty School and used its image on its label. The first vintage of Liberty School was produced in 1975.
By early 1980 the Liberty School label’s popularity had outgrown the amount of surplus fruit that was available to Caymus for their Liberty School label. In search of quality Cabernet fruit for his second label, Chuck (Charlie’s son) was a visionary looking to the central coast of California, particularly Paso Robles, as a desirable location to source good fruit at a reasonable price. In 1978 the Hope family had planted Cabernet Sauvignon in Paso Robles, and their success had caught the attention of Wagner by the early 1980s, and Chuck approached Hope Farms as a fruit source for the Liberty School label. In 1988, Chuck Wagner bought juice from the Hopes, and by 1990 the Hopes were the sole source for Liberty School Cabernet. As the growers for Liberty School over the years, the Hope family helped give the brand a sense of place and a home in Paso Robles. Together, the Hope and Wagner families worked towards solidifying Liberty School’s solid reputation for quality and value while becoming good friends.
Austin Hope’s family is one of those old-timers by Paso Robles standards. Austin’s grandfather owned a very successful beer distributor that his dad, Chuck Hope, drove a delivery truck for and soon tired of delivering cases of suds. Instead, he moved his family to a farm in 1977 with the plan to plant apple orchards and grape vines in Paso Robles. “To paint the picture, it was mainly grain farms here,” said Hope. “There were few vineyards, probably less than a thousand acres of grapes.” In fact, in 1980, there were less than 20 wineries in Paso; today, there are well over 250. By the early 90s, the Hopes became one of the largest grape growers in the county. As Austin remembers, “We just kept planting and planting, then slowly, eventually phased in wine—I had a lot of interest in the wine side of it.”
Mr. Wagner became a friend and mentor to the Hope Family and offered to sell Liberty School to them in 1994. In 1996, the day before the Hopes were to sign the purchase papers for Liberty School, Paul Hope, Chuck Hopes brother. partner and soon-to-be winemaker for this new project, unexpectedly died of a heart attack. As you can imagine, this changed the Hope Family’s world. Austin was apprenticing at Caymus and other wineries at the time, along with finishing college. His dad and Chuck Wagner asked him if he could take over the role of heading up the new Hope Family Winery.

In 1996, the Hope family acquired the label and began producing Liberty School in Paso Robles. Since then, the Hope family has added Liberty School Chardonnay and a red Cuvée to the brand. The wines are comprised of fruit from over 50 independent, family-owned Paso Robles and Central Coast vineyards, some of which were developed by the Hope family. They are made in a traditional style: fruit-driven, barrel-aged, and crafted to reflect true varietal and regional character.
A word on Paso Robles 2020 vintage from
The Wine Industry Advisor:

“2020 Paso Robles Wine Vintage Set to Be Most Memorable on Record.”
The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA) announced the end of the 2020 harvest in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA), reporting that the vintage is showing exceptional quality amid a challenging year. Yields were varietally dependent, with an average of 10 – 30% down. Grape quality across the board is reported as excellent, with intense flavor development and great color. 2020 will be recognized as a banner year for the Paso Robles wine region. The Paso Robles AVA was well removed from any immediate fire danger throughout California’s historic fire season of 2020. 
Vineyard Notes
The 2020 early growing season was near normal. Rainfall occurred mainly in early winter and early spring, and seasonal totals were just below average. Vine growth and berry development were typical through spring. Summer brought unusual heatwaves which slowed berry development, keeping them small with a desirable skin-to-juice ratio. October was warm and dry, aiding in fruit maturity. Harvest was condensed as most Paso Robles Cabernet ripened at the same time with ideal color and flavors.
Winemaker Notes
Our Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested and fermented individually by vineyard lots and then barreled into a combination of French and American oak barrels, 10% of which are new. The wine is racked twice during barrel-aging and gently filtered just prior to bottling. The 2020 Liberty School Cabernet was aged for 14 months in oak, blended in early winter of 2021, and bottled in January of 2022.

The warm, rich ruby color fills your glass along with aromas of vanilla bean, fresh cedar, and dense black currants. On the palate, earthy notes mingle with crushed peppercorn, sweet oak, and dark fruit. This medium-bodied wine is balanced with dusty tannins and a soft lingering finish.
This Week's Wine Insider Offer
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Liberty School Cabernet is a wine that I feel that I have known forever. When I was in restaurants, it was always on my wine list. As a wholesaler, I always sold against it, saying what I had was just as good. As a retailer, it is the go-to Cabernet for under $15. To be that consistently good over the years, the proof has to be in the bottle. And it is. When we sampled the wine, the aromas were deep dark cherry fruit and oak vanilla. On the palate, the dark berry fruit, some tobacco, and earth, with a long, lush finish. Balanced tannin and oak make this a proper Cabernet punching well above its weight. You will find it a challenging task to find a better Cabernet at $8.00 a bottle.
Everyday Low Price: $13.98
Internet Average Price: $16.00
*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottles
$24 Mail in Rebate on 6 bottles per household
Final Cost is $8 after MIR
Wine is packed in a 12 bottle case
How To Place Your Order
To order, simply send an email to your preferred Yankee Spirits superstore with one of the addresses to the right, along with:

Your Name
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Desired Quantity
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All request are processed during business hours and in the order they are received. We'll confirm your order via email within 48 hours and when it is ready for pickup. Unless otherwise specified, promotional pricing ends two weeks from email send date.
YANKEE SPIRITS
STORE LOCATIONS
James Taylor
Don Ackerman
John Hannum
Barbara Holt
Pricing is subject to change without notice once this promotion ends in two weeks or when we run out of product. Whichever comes first.
Place your order now with the store contacts above, while you've got all the information at your fingertips.

Cheers!

John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist
Attleboro
628 Washington St.
Norwood
942 Providence Hgwy.
Sturbridge
376 Main Street.
Swansea
207 Swansea Mall Dr.
Monday-Thursday
9AM to 9PM
Friday-Saturday
9AM to 10PM
Sunday
10AM to 6PM
We reserve the right to limit quantities. You must be at least 21 years of age to purchase/consume alcohol. Please drink responsibly. Not responsible for typographical errors. Rebate quantities are subject to limitation by the manufacturer. These alcoholic beverages may be subject to payment of Connecticut or Rhode Island Alcoholic Beverage Tax and Connecticut Use Tax, and may be subject to seizure as contraband.