PURPOSE - Estate Syrah - HIGH HILL

These three labels are not artwork. They are witnesses. They are proof that time passed here—and that a man did too. One hillside. One tree. One wind that never learned how to quit. Larry Saarloos’ life is written into this ground the same way it’s written into our family—quietly, permanently, without asking permission or leaving instructions.
Larry planted these hills after failure, when starting over wasn’t romantic and the future didn’t owe him anything. Ballard Canyon didn’t have a reputation then. No brochures. No buzzwords. No one calling it “special.” These slopes didn’t have a voice yet. They were just steep, cold, windy, and honest. Most people would have walked away. Larry didn’t. He believed—maybe not in success, but in the work. In showing up. In doing the job right even if no one ever noticed. I watched him do it. I learned by following behind him, by carrying things, by listening to what he didn’t say. He never gave speeches. He gave mornings. He gave calloused hands. He gave decisions made when nobody was around to clap.
These wines come from the hardest hills to farm in the county. Steep enough to punish you if you get lazy. Windy enough to expose every lie you tell yourself. Thin soils that don’t care about your plans. But anything worth doing is hard. That’s where the best fruit comes from. The vine has to fight. Roots have to go deep or they don’t make it. Stress isn’t a flaw here—it’s the point. Nothing on these hills is given. Everything is earned. That’s not just farming. That’s a blueprint for a life.
In the first image, the tree stands. Alone. Exposed. Still upright. That’s Purpose. Purpose is the moment you decide to begin without knowing how expensive the decision will be. It’s choosing the hill before you know how steep it really is. Larry planted here not because it penciled out clean, but because something in him said this was the ground that mattered. Purpose doesn’t guarantee comfort. It doesn’t explain itself. It just stands there, takes the weather, and refuses to move.
Then comes the long middle.
In the second image, the tree is bent and scarred. Changed forever. That’s Resiliency. This is Fat Man Terrace—the most photographed vineyard in Santa Barbara County. The cover of books. The image on banners and emails. The symbol everyone points to when they want to show how beautiful this valley is. And that’s the irony. Because beneath the beauty is pressure. Relentless wind. Steep ground trying to pull everything downhill. A hillside that looks effortless from the road and punishes you the second you step onto it. That’s resiliency. The part people don’t post. The years where the work stops being poetic and starts being necessary. Where plans fall apart. Where you take the hit, lose something you don’t get back, adjust your footing, and keep moving—not because you’re brave, but because quitting would mean the beginning was a lie. That’s how my father lived. No complaints. No drama. Just forward motion.
And then, one day, the work is done.
In the final image, the tree is gone. Cleared. Finished. And in its place, a golden eagle moves through the exact space it once occupied. That’s Legacy. Legacy isn’t memory. It’s motion. It’s what keeps moving after you’re gone. When my father died, the work didn’t stop—it landed on my shoulders. And now I see him everywhere. In my kids. In my nieces and nephews. In the way they show up early. In the way they don’t cut corners. In the way they carry the family name like it means something. His lessons didn’t disappear with him. They hardened. They became expectation. They were cast into the foundation of who we are, whether we talk about it or not.
Purpose.
Resiliency.
Legacy.
That’s the arc of building something real. Purpose is choosing to begin. Resiliency is staying when it costs more than you thought it would. Legacy is the quiet reward that only comes after you’ve run the race all the way through—and run it clean.
These wines aren’t about nostalgia. They’re about responsibility. About choosing hard ground. About staying when it hurts. About leaving something solid enough that your children don’t have to start from scratch. A life like that doesn’t need monuments. It gets remembered in posture. In work ethic. In the way the next generation stands a little straighter because of it.
That’s Larry Saarloos.
That’s these hills.
That’s this wine.
No shortcuts.
No bullshit.
Just the work—
done right,
and carried forward.

PURPOSE

2023 High Hill Estate Syrah

Purpose is the decision you make before anyone is watching.
Before it works.
Before it’s proven.
Before you know how much it’s going to cost.

This wine comes from High Hill, the entrance to our vineyard and the first ground my father chose to plant. It is an unrelenting south-facing hillside, covered in limestone and locked beneath a hard layer of adobe. No cushion. No softness. No generosity. Just sun, wind, and soil that demands you mean what you say. This is not land that forgives hesitation. It forces roots down, deep and early, or it sends you away.

High Hill is where everything begins.

The tree on this label stands alone—rooted, exposed, upright. That image is Purpose in its purest form. Purpose is not confidence. It is commitment. It is choosing the hill before you know how steep it really is. It is deciding to begin without knowing how expensive the decision will be. Larry Saarloos planted the HIGH HILL  not because it was easy or obvious, but because something in him said this was the ground that mattered. Purpose doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t ask for permission. It stands there, takes the weather, and refuses to move.

This Syrah carries that posture.

It is focused, structured, and disciplined from the first pour. Aromatically, it leans savory and precise—black olive, cracked black pepper, iron, and dark fruit held firmly in check. There is clarity here, not excess. Nothing spills over the edge. The palate is built on tension: firm tannins, bright acidity, and a core that stays upright all the way through. This is not a wine chasing comfort. It is a wine built on fundamentals.

High Hill does not reward shortcuts. The limestone and adobe strip away illusion. Vines struggle early, forcing concentration and definition rather than volume. That struggle shows up in the wine as restraint, line, and purpose. This is Syrah with direction. It knows where it’s going.

Purpose lives at the beginning of every meaningful life—the moment you choose to start something that may never love you back. Before resilience is required. Before legacy is earned. Just the decision to stand in difficult ground and commit fully.

This vineyard lives in that moment.
This wine speaks from it.

PURPOSE  2023 High Hill Estate Syrah
Purpose is the decision you make before anyone is watching.
Before it works.
Before it’s proven.
Before you know how much it’s going to cost.
This wine comes from High Hill, the entrance to our vineyard and the first ground my father chose to plant. It is an unrelenting south-facing hillside, covered in limestone and locked beneath a hard layer of adobe. No cushion. No softness. No generosity. Just sun, wind, and soil that demands you mean what you say. This is not land that forgives hesitation. It forces roots down, deep and early, or it sends you away.
High Hill is where everything begins.
The tree on this label stands alone—rooted, exposed, upright. That image is Purpose in its purest form. Purpose is not confidence. It is commitment. It is choosing the hill before you know how steep it really is. It is deciding to begin without knowing how expensive the decision will be. Larry Saarloos planted here not because it was easy or obvious, but because something in him said this was the ground that mattered. Purpose doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t ask for permission. It stands there, takes the weather, and refuses to move.
This Syrah carries that posture.
It is focused, structured, and disciplined from the first pour. Aromatically, it leans savory and precise—black olive, cracked black pepper, iron, and dark fruit held firmly in check. There is clarity here, not excess. Nothing spills over the edge. The palate is built on tension: firm tannins, bright acidity, and a core that stays upright all the way through. This is not a wine chasing comfort. It is a wine built on fundamentals.
High Hill does not reward shortcuts. The limestone and adobe strip away illusion. Vines struggle early, forcing concentration and definition rather than volume. That struggle shows up in the wine as restraint, line, and purpose. This is Syrah with direction. It knows where it’s going.
Purpose lives at the beginning of every meaningful life—the moment you choose to start something that may never love you back. Before resilience is required. Before legacy is earned. Just the decision to stand in difficult ground and commit fully.
This vineyard lives in that moment.
This wine speaks from it.

Tasting Notes

2023 High Hill Estate Syrah

From the most exposed and uncompromising ground on the property, Purpose announces itself with precision rather than volume. The color is a deep ruby with garnet edges, signaling restraint and longevity. The nose is focused and deliberate—black olive brine, freshly cracked pepper, ironstone, and dried Mediterranean herbs—followed by tightly wound dark cherry and blackberry that feel embedded in the wine rather than layered on top.

On the palate, Purpose is medium-full bodied but unmistakably vertical, driven by tension, posture, and controlrather than weight. The fruit is compact and disciplined, carried by firm, finely etched tannins and bright, natural acidity that gives the wine lift and authority. Mid-palate notes of graphite, crushed limestone, cocoa nib, and savory spice reinforce the mineral architecture of the site, creating a sense of direction rather than generosity.

The finish is long, clean, and resolute—marked by persistent pepper, iron, and savory earth that fade slowly and deliberately, with no excess and no soft landing. This is Syrah shaped by sun, stone, and resolve, not by ornamentation.

Purpose is built for time. It will continue to evolve, layer, and refine through 2056 and beyond, gaining nuance without surrendering its spine.

FLAVOR & STRUCTURE AT A GLANCE

• Color: Deep ruby with garnet edge

• Aromas: Black olive, cracked pepper, dried herbs, ironstone, dark cherry

• Palate: Compact dark fruit, graphite, cocoa nib, crushed limestone

• Structure: Medium-full body • firm, finely etched tannins • high natural acidity

• Minerality: Limestone / ironstone / crushed rock

• Finish: Long, precise, savory with persistent pepper and iron

• Aging Potential: Built to evolve gracefully through 2056+

WHY IT TASTES THIS WAY

High Hill’s south-facing exposure, limestone-rich soils, and hard adobe cap create immediate and unrelenting stress. Vines are forced to commit early—driving roots deep and prioritizing structure over size, clarity over excess. The result is a Syrah defined by discipline, line, and restraint, reflecting the beginning of the journey: upright, focused, and unwilling to compromise.

FOOD PAIRINGS

2023 High Hill Estate Syrah

Purpose pairs best with food that is deliberate.
Nothing ornamental. Nothing hidden.
Just decisions made cleanly and executed well.

This wine is built on line, tension, and restraint. It rewards dishes that respect fundamentals and punish distraction.

MEAT (PRECISION OVER POWER)

• Grilled hanger steak or bavette
  Lean, mineral, unforgiving. When cooked correctly, it mirrors the wine’s structure and pepper-driven edge.

• Whole roasted chicken, simply seasoned
  Crisp skin, salt, heat. Purpose responds to restraint.

• Thick-cut pork chop over live fire
  No glaze. No sweetness. Let the meat and smoke speak.

• Beef tenderloin with cracked pepper and olive oil
  Precision matters. Excess does not.

EARTH & FIRE (STRUCTURE, NOT RICHNESS)

• Lentils, farro, or barley with herbs and olive oil
  Texture, integrity, and clarity.

• Charred broccolini or bitter greens
  Fire brings out the wine’s savory mineral core.

• Roasted root vegetables with thyme or bay
  Clean caramelization, no distraction.

CHEESE (FIRM, AGED, DEFINED)

• Pecorino Toscano

• Aged Asiago

• Firm sheep’s milk cheeses

Skip the soft and bloomy. Purpose prefers edges and definition.

WHAT TO AVOID

• Sweet sauces or reductions

• Heavy cream without structure

• Overworked, decorative plates

If it’s trying to impress, it’s missing the point.

THE RULE

If the dish stands on its own—
if every element has a reason to be there—
this wine will meet it exactly where it stands.

Purpose pairs with food that knows what it is,
executes cleanly,
and doesn’t apologize for it.