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The Liberty Tribune

Our blog consists of vineyard happenings, winemaking insights, event highlights, 
and selected quotes from Founders!
 

Thomas Paine
 
September 11, 2024 | Thomas Paine

Cause of America

"The Cause of America is the Cause of all mankind."

Time Posted: Sep 11, 2024 at 12:01 AM Permalink to Cause of America Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
September 26, 2023 | Nick Gardner

September '23 Newlsetter

Embrace Autumn!!

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

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.

Some craft inspiration (credt Pinterest and others)...
   
...and our mini pumpkin patch is picking up steam.
 VINEYARD
Liberty Cellars harvest 2023 Sauv Blanc. 

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.

 WINE

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

 

 

 HISTORY



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

 

Skål !! (Scandanavian toast)

- Nick and the Liberty Team


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We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, MT, PA, TX, VA ... and growing!

Time Posted: Sep 26, 2023 at 1:27 PM Permalink to September '23 Newlsetter Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
August 17, 2023 | Nick Gardner

August '23 Newsletter

Happy Summer from Liberty!!

 
In this Issue:
  • 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
 WINE

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

 

 

 CLUB

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.

Some early inspiration...
  
 VINEYARD
Liberty vineyard August 2023 

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).

 HISTORY

 

The Liberty Bell



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.

 
This month in American Revolution history...

08/07/1742  General Nathanael Greene is born in R.I.
08/05/1749  Thomas Lynch Jr., signer of the Declaration from S.C., is born.

08/27/1776 Battle of Long Island (NY)
08/16/1777 Battle of Bennington (VT)
08/22/1777 Battle of Staten Island (NY)
08/19/1779 Henry Lee wins the Battle of Paulus Hook (NJ)
​08/16/1780 Battle of Camden (SC)
08/30/1781 The French fleet arrives at Chesapeake Bay

08/07/1782 George Washington creates the Purple Heart Award

In anticipation of harvest - Prost!!

- Nick and the Liberty Team


Follow us on...
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We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, MT, PA, TX, VA ... and growing!

Time Posted: Aug 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM Permalink to August '23 Newsletter Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
January 18, 2023 | Nick Gardner

January 23 Newsletter

Happy New Year from Liberty!!

 
In this Issue:
  • Rain Wonderful Rain
  • Bottling
  • February Club Shipment
  • History Spotlight: Liberty Bell
 VINEYARD
Rainbow over Liberty vineyard

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)!

Huer Huero river running 

 Chart of year to year rainfall at Liberty Vineyard
 
 WINE

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.

 CLUB

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.

 HISTORY
The Liberty Bell

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.

 
This month in American Revolution history...
01/01/1752  Betsy Ross is born in NJ.
01/04/1746  Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence (NC), is born.
01/12/1737  John Hancock, iconic signer of the Declaration of Independence (MA), is born.
01/14/1730  William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence (NH), is born.
01/15/1716  Philip Livingston, signer of the Declaration of Independence (NY), is born.
01/17/1706  Benjamin Franklin, signer of BOTH the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (PA), is born.
01/21/1738  Ethan Allen is born (VT).
01/23/1730  Joseph Hewes, signer of the Declaration of Independence (NC), is born.
01/31/1734  Robert Morris, signer of BOTH the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (PA), is born.

01/02/1777 Second Battle of Trenton (NJ)
01/03/1777 Battle of Princeton (NJ)
01/17/1781 Battle of Cowpens (SC)

Best wishes for 2023 - Salud!!

- Nick and the Liberty Team


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We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!

Time Posted: Jan 18, 2023 at 12:00 PM Permalink to January 23 Newsletter Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
December 10, 2022 | Nick Gardner

December Newsletter

Happy Holidays from Liberty!

 
In this Issue:
  • Holiday Shipment Deadline
  • February Club Shipment
  • History Spotlight: Washington Crossing the Delaware
 HOLIDAY ORDERS

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.

Tractor 2022

 
 CLUB

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.

 HISTORY

WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE - Christmas Night 1776

Washington Crossing the Delaware

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

 LIBRARY
Washington's Crossing, by David Hackett Fischer 

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

"Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia.
Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington—and many other Americans—refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.
... While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning."   
 -- BarnesAndNoble.com

Best wishes for the Holidays and 2023!!

- Nick and the Liberty Team


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We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!

Time Posted: Dec 10, 2022 at 12:51 PM Permalink to December Newsletter Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
October 6, 2022 | Nick Gardner

October Newsletter

October at Liberty!

 
In this Issue:
  • Harvest Update
  • Wine Tasting/Tour
  • Nov Shipment, Pickup Party
  • History Spotlight: Jefferson
 HARVEST
Harvest 2022

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+%) .  

Sauvignon Blanc:
8/19/22, 4am start
1.9 tons, hand harvest
                                                                                                            
Sauvignon blanc harvest 2022
 
Petite Sirah
9/6/22, 12am start
0.9 tons, hand harvest
Petite sirah
 
Zinfandel
9/8/22, 12am start
1.8 tons, hand harvest
ZINFANDEL harvest
 
Syrah
9/12/22, 7pm start
6.5 tons, machine harvest (for buyer)
Syrah machine harvest
 
Harvest 2022
 
 TASTING

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.

 CLUB

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.

 HISTORY

THOMAS JEFFERSON

Thomas Jefferson portrait  

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).

This month in AWI history...

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)

 LIBRARY
Jefferson, by John B Boles 

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

"...In Jefferson, Boles plumbs every facet of Thomas Jefferson's life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker — as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet. We witness him drafting of the Declaration of Independence, negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and inventing a politics that emphasized the states over the federal government — a political philosophy that shapes our national life to this day.  Boles offers new insight into Jefferson's actions and thinking on race. His Jefferson is not a hypocrite, but a tragic figure — a man who could not hold simultaneously to his views on abolition, democracy, and patriarchal responsibility. Yet despite his flaws, Jefferson's ideas would outlive him and make him into nothing less than the architect of American liberty."    -- BarnesAndNoble.com

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

Thank you very much for your continued interest and patronage - Cheers!!

- Nick and the Liberty Team


Instagram link  Facebook link  

 

We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!

Time Posted: Oct 6, 2022 at 11:21 AM Permalink to October Newsletter Permalink
Nick Gardner
 
August 15, 2022 | Nick Gardner

August Newsletter

August Greetings from Liberty!!

 
In this Issue:
  • Vineyard Veraison
  • Wine Tasting/Tour
  • Club News
  • History Spotlight
 VINEYARD
Liberty Vineyard view August 2022

Veraison

The vineyard is looking its best ever and is well into veraison - the onset of ripening and change of berry color from green to purple.  Petite Sirah always turns first, Cab last; our Zin (at right) is almost through.
Zinfandel veraison

Sauvignon Blanc Harvesting Soon

The SB plants are racing through ripening, just measured at 22 brix.  Harvest expected in next 7 days - our first August pick ever!
Sauvignon blanc

Certified Sustainable

We are pleased to annnounce that Liberty Vineyard has been certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance!
Baby malbec vines

Baby Malbec vines planted in June; nest in Cab Sauv full of recently-hatched dove chicks (zoom to see broken eggs below); thematic colonial owl box (a COVID project), vacant now but hopes for barn owl tenant this winter!
Bird nest in vineyard
Colonial owl box
 
 WINE
The 2021 reds - Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah - are through fermentation and resting comfortably in oak barrels.  Next step: Blending!
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.
 CLUB
Just in time for the holiday season, the next club shipment will be in November around Veteran's Day (which is Nov 11th).  This release will include wines from the 2015 and 2016 vintages.  More details to come!
Not a member yet?  Join / More info here.
 HISTORY
Nathanael Greene by Peale
NATHANAEL GREENE

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.

This month in AWI history...
08/05/1749  Thomas Lynch Jr., signer of the Declaration from S.C., is born.
08/07/1742  General Nathanael Greene is born in R.I.
08/27/1776 Battle of Long Island (NY)
08/16/1777 Battle of Bennington (VT)
​08/16/1780 Battle of Camden (SC)
 IN MEMORIAM
David McCollough
Thank you to David McCollough who inspired so much interest in history, especially the American Revolution through his books 1776 (2005, Simon & Schuster) and John Adams (2001, Simon & Schuster; Pulitzer Prize). The author, historian, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient passed away on August 7th (we note, one day after National Read A Book Day).

David McCollough  1776

Thank you very much for your interest and patronage - Cheers!!

- Nick and the Liberty Team


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We now ship to:  CA, CO, DC, FL, MA, MO, MN, PA, TX, and VA!

Time Posted: Aug 15, 2022 at 4:07 PM Permalink to August Newsletter Permalink