This SLO County cabernet was one of 10 best wines in 2019, Wine Enthusiast says

A Paso Robles winery is behind one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines of 2019.

Austin Hope’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon made the magazine’s list of the best wines of the year at No. 10, earning an impressive 95-point rating.

Selected from more than 24,000 wines, the Top 100 Wines of 2019 list features vintages from 16 different countries, including Australia, France, Italy and Spain.

According to Wine Enthusiast, the Austin Hope cabernet sauvignon, which retails at $50 a bottle, “remains as impressive and delicious as it did upon debut two vintages ago.”

“Aromas of black cherry, hickory smoke and vanilla cookie lead into a palate of brown sugar, sea salt, caramel and black-cherry foam, all framed by polished tannins and just enough acidity,” said the magazine, which previously honored Austin Hope’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon with a 97-point score.

Inclusion on the Top 100 Wines list is just the latest accolade for San Luis Obispo County vintner Austin Hope, winemaker and president of Hope Family Wines.

Hope, a Cal Poly graduate, was named Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year in 2018 by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

He created the Austin Hope label, which features Rhone varietals, in 2000.

Hope Family Wines’ other brands include Liberty School, Treana, Troublemaker and Quest.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.

Sarah Linn

The Tribune

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Sarah Linn is an editor and reporter on the West Service Journalism Team, working with journalists in Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Merced and San Luis Obispo in California and Bellingham, Olympia and Tri-Cities in Washington, as well as Boise, Idaho. She previously served as the Local/Entertainment Editor of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, working there for nearly two decades. A graduate of Oregon State University, she has earned multiple California journalism awards.