Nose
The Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon expresses aromas of freshly picked black currants, ripe and blackberries, with subtle notes of violets, mocha and dried spices.
Palate
On the palate, it’s a luscious modern-styled wine layered with an abundance of juicy olallieberry and cherry fruit, while nuances of cedar, clove, nutmeg and vanilla bean round out the long smooth finish. Full-bodied and rich, balanced by fresh acidity and integrated, polished tannins.
Growing Conditions
The 2022 growing season had slightly warmer than average temperatures throughout. While mild in spring with few frost events, the summer months were mild with unusually long heat events lasting five to seven days. Veraison was fairly mild and berries quickly matured. Early September saw very warm temperatures for an extended period. This rapidly increased brix and grapes were harvested about
a week earlier than normal.
Harvest
We carefully source the vineyards and grapes for Austin Hope from all over the Paso Robles AVA.
What is important to us is the site, the soils, the vineyard and the grower. The 2022 vintage was sourced from seven of the eleven districts:
- Estrella | The upper south facing slopes are well-drained and gravely in nature at 900’ - 1100' elevation.
- Geneseo | A young vineyard with new clones with well-drained soils at 1100’ - 1300’ elevation.
- San Juan Creek | Established vineyard on sandy soils in an ancient riverbed at 1200’ elevation
- Creston | Rolling hills, well-drained soils, high quality. A core vineyard for Austin Hope.
- El Pomar | Gentle slopes have clay-based soils with heavy calcareous deposits and cooler conditions.
- Paso Robles Highlands | High plains, well-drained calcareous soils, elevation 1600’ - 1700’.
- San Miguel | Established, consistent vineyard on rolling hills with pockets of ancient seabed.
Winemaking
After harvesting the grapes, select vineyard lots were fermented individually in stainless steel tanks for 10-14 days. Extended macerations and carefully managed pump overs enhanced the extraction of color and tannin. The lots were aged separately for 14 months in a combination of 25% once used, and 75% two to three times used French Oak. Through a combination of tasting and analytics our best lots were determined, and the initial blend was assembled in December of 2023. As a whole, this blend was aged an additional two months in 75% new and 25% once used French Oak. The wine was racked just twice during its cellar life, with the final racking occurring just prior to bottling.
