• Oct 28 Harvest + Halloween + Pickup Party
• Sauv Blanc Harvest
• Featured Wine: 2018 Syrah "Betsy Ross"
• History Spotlight: Betsy Ross

Next Wine Club is the November Veterans Day shipment. 

Save the Date!  The Wine Club Pickup Party will be Saturday October 28th, 1-4pm. 

A celebration of Harvest and Halloween -
TRICKS (games; wine bottle crafting options; kids and costumes welcome!) 
TREATS (wine, light food pairings)

For those who choose shipping, shipments are scheduled to go out Monday 11/6/23.

FREE for Wine Club members; $20 for guests
Please RSVP to info@libertycellars.com by 10/20/23.

Not a member yet?  Join / More info here.

Harvest is Here

We picked the Sauvignon Blanc on September 13th, almost a month later than last year.  Additional blocks of SB came online this year, and we harvested ~2.5 tons.  With the additional volume, we are planning two styles of SB for 2023 to expand upon the positive feedback from our 2022!

The subsequent cool weather has slowed the ripening of our red varietals, but the fruit is looking great on all six:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Syrah.  2023 will be the first harvest for our 3 year-old Cab Franc and Malbec vines!

For more pics, videos, and updates, please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and now X/Twitter.

The 2018 Syrah marks our first stand-alone Syrah and features Betsy Ross on the label. 

Tasting notes:  Aromas of candied raspberry and strawberry, mint, white pepper, and vanilla wafer greet you on the nose. The palate has bright acidity to focus its direction, with flavors of fruit roll up, savory herbs, and mineral notes. This is an easy drinking wine that will do well with some bottle age.

Good on its own and very versatile, consider pairing with rib eye, goat cheese, flavorful poultry dishes.

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, MT, PA, TX, and VA!  Let us know if we can add your state.

Featured Wine:
2018 Syrah

Betsy Ross

Born: 1/1/1752 in New Jersey
Died: 1/30/1836 in Philadelphia
Upholsterer, Seamstress; Quaker then Anglican
2018 Syrah

Elizabeth 'Betsy' Ross (nee Griscom) was born on NYD, the 8th of 17 children.  At age three, she moved with her family to Philadelphia and was soon taught to sew by her great aunt.  She apprenticed with a local upholsterer where she met her first husband, John Ross.  Because of their mixed faiths, they eloped. 

Upon return, she started her own business, which she successfully operated for over 50 years.  John Ross was killed shortly after the Revolution broke out, while guarding munitions.  Betsy persevered in the business, making patriot flags and uniforms from her shop near Independence Hall. She remarried in 1777 to Joseph Ashburn who was captured in the war and died in British captivity.  Later she married John Claypoole who also pre-deceased her.

She is credited with sewing the first flag of the new country and for convincing Washington to approve five-point stars (over his design for six-point) by demonstrating the ease of cutting five-points.

More at https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/betsy-ross

• Featured Wine: 2022 Sauv Blanc "Liberty Bell"
• Save the Date: Oct 28 Harvest + Halloween + Pickup Party
• Vineyard Veraison
• History Spotlight: Patrick Henry
• Follow Liberty on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Crisp refreshment for hot summer days!

Our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc has been the top seller this year.  Only 74 cases were made. 

Tasting notes:  Aromas of honeydew, wet grass, lemon, kiwi, satsuma, chalk dust, and key lime.  Pretty green hue.

Two ways to enjoy:  At 40 degrees (fridge or on ice), crisp, bright lemon acidity, soft body, mouthwatering and thirst quenching at the same time.  At 55 degrees, lusher flavors of pomelo, green apple, pear.

Pairing ideas include arugula salads, mellow cheeses (hard and soft) such as Pecorino Romano, dried fruits, poultry, seafood, panzanella, Mediterranean.

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, MT, PA, TX, and VA!  Let us know if we can add your state.

Featured Wine:
2022 Sauvignon Blanc

Next Wine Club is the Veterans Day shipment. 

Save the Date!  The Wine Club Pickup Party will be Saturday October 28th, 1-4pm. 

A celebration of Harvest and Halloween -
TRICKS (wine bottle and cork crafting options; games; costumes welcome!) 
TREATS (wine, light pairings)

For those who choose shipping, shipment is scheduled to go out Monday 11/6/23.

More details and RSVP to follow.

Not a member yet?  Join / More info here.

Veraison*

We are pleased to report that the vineyard is in great shape going into harvest!  The rains this year set up a healthy growing season this summer.

Veraison is well underway in all varietals.  We'll start taking measurements (brix, pH) on the Sauvignon Blanc next week.  The last spray of the year is being completed today.  Crop quality looks great, overall crop load looks to be normal to slightly below.

Last year we harvested the Sauv Blanc on Aug 16th - recall the protracted heat wave that accelerated EVERYTHING.  This year, more normal / intermittent heat is allowing some extended time on the vine.  With a new block coming online, we hope to have a larger crop of SB, to expand upon the popular 2022 white wine! 

*Veraison is the change of color of grape berries from green to red and marks the transition from berry growth to ripening. (For white varietals like our Sauvignon Blanc, no color change but the berries become more translucent).

PATRICK HENRY

Born: 5/29/1736
Died: 6/6/1799
Virginia  |  Planter, Lawyer, Governor
"Give me liberty or give me death"
2017 Declaration

Patrick Henry is famous for his oratory skills, including his court victory in "Parson's Cause" in 1763, his opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765, and his legendary declaration "Give me liberty or give me death" at the 2nd Virginia Convention in 1775.

He twice served as Governor of Virginia, from 1776-1779 and from 1784-1786.

His plantation 'Scotchtown' in Hanover County, Virginia was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

• Rain Wonderful Rain
• Bottling
• February Club Shipment
• History Spotlight: Liberty Bell

Rain A Rama

Record precipitation - 18.4" has fallen here since October 1, 2022! (we measure Oct 1st to Sept 30th to approximate rainfall from harvest to harvest)  This is the most since Liberty began keeping track back in 2017 - in fact, 7.5" more than any prior year to date.  If you're curious, we keep the chart updated on the website Vineyard > Rainfall.

The adjacent Huer Huero River has flowed several days this month, the first strong run in our ten years here (closer to 20 years, per neighbors)!

Exciting news:  The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is scheduled to be bottled on February 16th!  Our first full production SB is tasting great - we look forward to adding this white wine to our offering.  This vintage looks to be around 84 cases (750mL bottles) from four year old estate vines.

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!  Let us know if your state not listed.

Next Wine Club shipment is scheduled for Monday 2/27/2023!
(in honor of George Washington's birthday on February 22nd). 
Details to follow.

This shipment is optional - opt in by sending us an email.  

NOTE:  The February/Washington's Birthday shipment is now the optional one (originally the April/Patriots' Day shipment was the optional, but we've made the winemaking decision to leave the reds in barrel longer going forward and bottle them in April).

Not a member yet?  Join / More info here.

LIBERTY BELL
Fun Facts:

1. The Pennsylvania Assembly had the Liberty Bell made in 1751 to mark the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges.
2. The Liberty Bell is, ironically, a re-cast of an English-made bell which cracked on its first ring. 
3. The bell probably didn’t ring on July 4, 1776 but likely did ring on July 8, 1776 for the public announcement of the Declaration of Independence.
4. As the British closed on Philadelphia in 1777, the Bell was removed under armed guard and hidden in a church in Allentown, PA. 
5. During its functional lifetime (1753-1846), the Bell tolled for many occasions including to mark the signing of the Constitution and the deaths of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson.
6. Weight: 2,080 pounds
   Height: 3 feet (lip to crown)
   Circumference: 6'11" at crown, 12' at lip
   Composition:  70% copper, 25% tin and traces of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver. 
7. The strike note is E-flat.

Sources: constitutioncenter.org and nsf.gov.

• Holiday Shipment Deadline
• February Club Shipment
• History Spotlight: Washington Crossing the Delaware

Liberty for the Holidays

We'd be honored to be a part of your holiday+New Years celebrations and gift giving!  

Please place orders by SATURDAY DEC 17th to ensure shipment on Monday Dec 19 (our last shipping day of the year!).  Reminder to login to get your member discount.  

Not a member?  Use special holiday code HOLI2022 to get 17.76% off your wine purchases and shipping!  

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!  Let us know if your state not listed.

Our next club shipment will be around Washington's Birthday (Feb 22nd).  Details to come!  Not a member yet?  Join Wine Club / More info here.

Date: 12/25/1776
Objective: Before Continental soldier enlistments expire at end of year, cross the icy Delaware River on Christmas night for a surprise morning attack on Hessian soldiers at Trenton, NJ. (and do it again a few nights later for another victory at Princeton!)
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon - George Washington
2018 Declaration - Thomas Paine
2019 Petite Sirah - John Glover

Washington's Crossing
David Hackett Fischer, Oxford University Press, 2006.

• Harvest Update
• Wine Tasting/Tour
• Nov Shipment, Pickup Party
• History Spotlight: Jefferson

Harvest Is ... Almost Done

Harvest came fast and furious ... and three weeks earlier than ever for us!  The 15-day heat wave - all days over 100°, most over 105° - accelerated ripening.  Only the Cabernet Sauvignon remains, with its harvest expected in the next 7-10 days.  Yields are down substantially throughout the Paso Robles AVA (30-50+%) .  

You're invited!  Tastings and vineyard tours available select Saturdays, by appointment only.  Learn more/book.

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!  Let us know if your state not listed.

Our next club shipment will be in November around Veteran's Day (Nov 11th).  This release will include wines from the 2015 and 2016 vintages. 

SAVE THE DATE:  Pickup party is scheduled for Saturday November 12th from 3:00-6:00pm.  RSVP by November 2nd please.

Not a member yet?  Join / More info here.

Born: 4/13/1743
Died: 7/4/1826
Virginia  |  William and Mary  |  "The Sage of Monticello"
Lawyer, Politician, Inventor, Planter, Architect
2016 Declaration blend

• Principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
• Third President, second Vice President, first Secretary of State, second Governor of Virginia, founder of University of Virginia.
• Designed and built Monticello.
• Died - to the day - on the 50th anniversary of Independence (coincidentally, John Adams died same day).

10/01/1730  Richard Stockton is born, signer of Declaration of Independence.
10/02/1735  Francis Hopkinson is born, signer of Declaration of Independence.
10/07/1728  Caesar Rodney is born, signer of Declaration of Independence.
10/14/1734  Francis Lightfoot is born, signer of Declaration of Independence.
10/30/1795  John Adams is born, future President and signer of the Declaration.
10/31/1740  William Paca is born, signer of Declaration of Independence.

10/04/1777 Battle of Germantown (PA)
10/17/1777 Battles of Saratoga (NY)
​10/07/1780 Battle of Kings Mountain (SC)
10/19/1781 British Surrender at Yorktown (VA)

Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty
John B. Boles, Basic Books, 2017.

John Boles is the William P. Hobby Professor Emeritus of History at Rice University and the former editor of the Journal of Southern History.

• Vineyard Veraison
• Wine Tasting/Tour
• Club News
• History Spotlight

Veraison

Sauvignon Blanc Harvesting Soon

Certified Sustainable

Born: 8/7/1742
Died: 6/19/1786
Rhode Island  |  Quaker  |  "The Fighting Quaker"
Major General, Quartermaster
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon

• Designated successor to George Washington. if killed or captured.
• "...He is vigilant, enterprising, and full of resources - there is but little hope of gaining an advantage over him..."
  - British General Cornwallis
• Namesakes: Greensboro and Greenville, NC; Greensboro, GA; Greenville, SC; Greeneville, TN; numerous counties and several USN ships.
• The General Nathanael Greene Homestead is a National Historic Landmark located in Coventry, R.I. Known as Spell Hall, it was Greene's home from 1770 to 1783 and is now a museum.