BIG LAR

FOUR YEARS

THE LEGACY OF LARRY SAARLOOS

LEGACY IS IMPORTANT

I have come to understand in the last 4 years. 
That what you do today does not really matter all that much. 
BUT
What you do, EVERY SINGLE DAY builds a Legacy. 

We all Fail. We all Stumble. We All Make Mistakes.
It is Ok. 

But the Tenacity.
The Get Up And Give It ANOTHER GO.
That is the measure. 

My Father had the Audacity To Dream
and the Tenacity to Make them Real.
Audacity + Tenacity = Victory

I measure myself against him every day. 
I sit in the same place every single day since he left us.
I think, I pray, and I talk to him.
In the same way, I always have done.

I knew what he would say almost every time I asked him something. 
Now, I fill in my blanks...

When He left us.
His Chores, His Responsibilities,  
His LIFE -
Fell on me.
With a silent Thud.

It was hard, 
It Still is...

But there was one thing I knew I wasn't going to do....
And that is...
Let Him Down.

He never let me down, 
Not Once.

Not in anything that ever mattered.
 
Even when I thought he did.
I see now that he did not.

He was training me.
Getting me ready.

Preparing Me.

For the eventuality of - Today. 

I thought by now, I would be over it. 
That the pain would fade.
But it hasn't -

The Pain Remains.
We have Just Gotten, 
Stronger....

This loss comes for everyone. 
It is the Worst Club in the world. 
However, it is inevitable. 

I believe our time on this earth is precious. 
My Faith sustains me.

But it is what we leave that defines us. 
Not material possessions, 
Not even achievements. 

What I have come to understand is that:
Our Legacy:
It is how we make others feel. 
Were We Helpful, Were We Kind,
Were We a Fountain, Or Were We a Drain?

Finally, Did we leave this world slightly better than we found it?

Our Family Creed is simple to say and hard to live up to.

WE LIVE:
TO HONOR THOSE THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US 
+
TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR THOSE YET TO COME.

My Father did this,
My Father Lived This.
My Father Left this World Better Than He Found it.

I take this Moment to Honor Him. 
With our Work and With Our Lives.

I will wake up each day to push my little rock forward 
To Prepare the way for those yet to come down our path.

Thank you for reading this, 
Thank you for being the reason we get up every day and go to work.
Many of you knew my father personally, and he brought some Joy into your life. 

I have had this eulogy rattling around in my head for the last 4 years. 
This week, it seemed fitting to let it out. 

Larry Saarloos will continue to be the Gold Standard of
"How to Be" in our Family. 
I see the attributes I admire in him flowing out of his grandchildren.
Our family is loving on Mom as Hard as We Can - and filling in the gaps.

My Father's Legacy is Secure in Us.

We Honor Him -  

Please enjoy this wine, 
Make the world a little better every day,
Tell someone you love them, 
Pour a big Glass
Hold it High
"To Big Lar"

This is who we are...
Wine is the ByProduct
It is How We
Honor + Prepare

-Keith Saarloos

This is one of 3 Syrah’s we have released this year. Each Farmed and Crafted the Same Way - Yet all 3 have distinct and unique Personalities -
Think of them as People - Yes, they were raised in the same home, and yes, they were treated the same way.
But just like children, Their personalities will develop separately and uniquely.
I don't know one parent with the same 3 kids, no matter how hard you tried to treat them the same way.
They are who they are, Even if 100% of their DNA is the same… They are going to be their own person. .
This is the essence of what we do.
We allow these 3 wines to express themselves as individuals -
Each is unique - Each is Special -
Enjoy.

FIRSTS :

I remember taking this photo, it was on a little disposable camera. It was a throw away photo, No big deal at the time.I just stood up on the tractor and snapped it.A little click in a cardboard box.No big deal.Then I wound it.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this moment was pretty special.
This is our first harvest.
2003
Look at those young thin vines
The Small Olive trees dotting the drive
20 years ago.
A lifetime ago.
My Father standing tall at the top of his hill.
Physically looking THE dream right in the eyes.
Looking over his fathers dream.
The dream his father infected him with.
Looking over his own dream.
To grow some thing from the ground.
To Farm.
Unflinching.
Here I was along side of him.
His oldest son.
Harvesting that dream.
This was a moment for him.
This was THE MOMENT for him.

We worked here side by side for 20 Years.
Fighting this ground for this fruit.

My Hands shake just to write this.
The years of dedication to the Blood Sweat and Tears of this place.
Spent side by side with my father.
Fulfilling His Fathers Dream.
His Own Dream.
I feel this photo coarse through my veins.
I am completely and hopelessly infected.

This is the Moment.
This is where this wine calls it’s home.

This Hill. THiS PLACE.

In Honor of this Moment.
Big Lar

We Live in order to : Honor those that have come before us. + Prepare the way for those yet to come.
The wines we release this year are the last my father farmed from plow to harvest.
Some could say the last remnants of his work.
I disagree.
The work continues.
I was prepared.
But I was not ready.
Nor do I think I ever would be.

But I was prepared.
His boys have grown in his absence.
Not because he was holding us back,
But because we needed to.
We were prepared.

But if you think I was going to miss an opportunity to honor my father with this year’s releases you are mistaken.
Each bottle has a subtle nod to my father.
Each bottle is an opportunity to say his name and keep his legend alive.
I say legend and not legacy because that rests in his sons and in his grandchildren.

In a simple statement.

We live in order to Honor those that have come before us and to prepare the way for those yet to come.

That is who we are.
That is what we do.

Most are already Sold Out.
But Family will always be taken care of.

This wine is one of 3 Syrah’s we have released this year. It all comes from the same vineyard and was all picked on the same day. Furthermore, these vines are genetically identical. The vines are Clones of each other. Cuttings taken and replicated over and over. Genetically they are all one vine just planted in slightly different locations. These 3 wines are from 3 different hillsides.

MITT is from the Little Boy Terrace the furthest and steepest of the hillsides comprising only 16 rows.
BUCKLE is taken from the FatMan terrace located lightly north comprising 24 rows cascading along the hillside.
And Finally, GLOVES is coming from the High Hill the furthest most hillside at the entrance of Windmill Ranch and Vineyard.

We take it upon ourselves in our family to follow our family creed :

We live in order to: Honor those that have come before us + to prepare the way for those yet to come.