Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (Paso Robles) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles in California that I picked up a couple of weeks ago at the LCBO on Queens Quay (Toronto) and had signed on the spot at the bottle signing by its creator - Austin Hope. It was an honour to have this bottle signed, shake his hand, and exchange pleasantries before heading on to my next engagement. This California Cab arrived at the LCBO late last year as part of the feature on "Gifts to Celebrate" in the November 5 LCBO VINTAGES Release and is still available to buy now.

Austin Hope is the Winemaker & President of Hope Family Wines, Wine Enthusiast's American Winery of the Year in 2022. Austin is the son of Chuck Hope and was eight years old when he moved from Bakersfield to Paso Robles in 1978 with his parents. Chuck and his wife, Marilyn, sought a change of scenery and career and purchased the property in Paso Robles where Austin still lives today. They started out farming grapes and apples and soon discovered that Paso Robles was ideal for winegrowing and focused their efforts on growing high quality grapes.

Austin credits three people for his growth and encouragement on his path in wine: his father Chuck Hope, his uncle Paul, and the famed Napa Valley winemaker Chuck Wagner. In the 1980s, the Hope family began selling their grapes to Chuck Wagner for a new brand of wines Mr. Wagner was producing - a brand that was later acquired by the Hope family. Austin was a bit of a troublemaker as a kid and his punishment was to go work in the fields. However, he actually enjoyed this chore and preferred working on the ranch instead of being in school, eventually finding himself working in the vineyard alongside his father during the 80's and 90's as the Hope family expanded their winegrowing activities.

While studying fruit science at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Chuck Wagner took him under his wing and it was during this period that Austin developed a passion for making wine. Uncle Paul Hope's desire for the family was to move from simply growing grapes to producing their own wine. In 1996, when the Hope family acquired Chuck Wagner's Liberty School label, Paul was slated to lead the project. However, his untimely death shortly after the acquisition put Austin, who was only 26 at the time, in charge of the project and propel the family's addition of winemaking to their operations.

Today, Hope Family Wines has six labels of wines, each with their own unique focus and personality. The Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon is the top bottle in the Hope Family Wines portfolio. It is crafted with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles and aims to express all that Paso has to offer with its
pastoral beauty, perfect soils, maritime climate, and limitless possibility. Paso Robles is one of California's most pastoral domains and its name roughly translates to "Passageway of Oaks", which comes from the majestic trees that mark the landscape. Amongst the rolling hills and native habitat lie manicured vineyards, where the ideal soil exists for farming Cabernet. The typical weather in Paso Robles are dry and warm, yet the evenings are chilled by a breeze from the Pacific Ocean just 18 miles to the west, allowing the fruit to ripen into luxurious richness.

This Cabernet was grown in several vineyards in Paso with each vineyard lot harvested and fermented individually in stainless steel tanks. Extended macerations and carefully managed pump overs enhanced the extraction of colour and tannin. Each lot was aged in mostly used French oak for 11 months, with the exact combination being 10% new, 25% second use, and 65% in third or fourth use. After tasting and analyzing each lot, the best lots were selected and blended together in late summer 2021, then aged a further 2 months in 75% new and 25% second use French oak.had

From a banner year in Paso Robles that produced grapes of excellent quality, let's see how this 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon from California is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

AUSTIN HOPE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 - Paso Robles, California, USA (#578005) (D) - $74.95
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The fragrant, highly aromatic nose is sweet vanillin oak spice and ripe, jammy black fruit driven with notes of black plum, blackberry, fine oak spice, cassis, and red licorice. On the full-bodied, richly structured palate it has sweet oak vanillin, fresh & ripe black fruit, blackberry, mocha, and black plum flavours supported by fresh, well-balanced acidity. The ripe, smooth, and refined tannins have a pleasingly mild grip on the back palate that will reward with a few years of ageing. Vanilla with roasted coffee, smoky oak, and tangy dark berry notes linger on the long, juicy finish, with excellent length. Well-balanced throughout. For the style, this is really nicely made and a highly recommended buy! Score: 92 pts

Other lovely wines by Hope Family Wines are available at the LCBO and through their Agent - Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits.