Since no one ever tells the story, 

about being terrified, second guessing yourself, and being on the brink of failure...

Let me tell you: A little story about how we got here from there. 

Back in 2009, 
We still had our small freshman crop of 2008 Cab (son) in the barrel. 
We had our first major harvest of Cabernet from the ECR vineyard.
The place where you weren't supposed to grow great cab.
No one wanted to take a risk on an unproven place. 
On Us. 
We had plenty of interested wineries, but they wanted to "wait and see" 
We didn't have 1 customer...
not 1.

We were scared.
My father and I said to each other.
The Fruit is good. 
the Fruit is Real Good. 
So, we aren't going to let it hit the ground.
We saddled up.
In 2009. over the coarse of 3 days,  
My father and I harvested every last Cabernet Grape for ourselves.. 
The Future was uncertan.
But we knew it was For our little tasting room.
A place that had been open less than a year. 
We bet the farm. 
We bet our reputation. 
we bet our future.

It was one of those moments.
You could feel it in the back of your teeth. 

we knew we were right. 

We had courage.

Fast Forward.
By 2010 we had proven the vineyard
By 2011 we had a waiting list for our grapes.
as the harvest of 2014 approaches. 
If we could grow 4x as much cab as we do. 
We would still have a waiting list.
 
Early In 2010 we bought quite a few Brand New French Oak barrels in the expectation that we would need them. But when the other Winerys, tasted and saw and started to buy, we dint need them all. So we held over quite a bit of them.

In 2011, We had released the First Eagle of Courage, 
the Golden Eagle.
In Honor of our Great Uncle John.
The man we wanted to remember. 
The Man we wanted to HONOR.  
The man that must have been so terrified to get off the boat in Normandy,
half way around the world on a French Beach. 
The man who did it anyway.
The man who fought his way up the beach and into Cherbourg France.  
The man who gave his life in the pursuit of Liberty and Freedom. 

The reception to Courage was overwhelming.
It was a moment of proof.
It meant so much to so many people.
It felt like the first time your dad let go of the bike and you were just riding. 
It felt bigger than us.
Because, when you take a sip of this wine I want you to remember it.
Because, I want you to remember this story. 
Because, I want you to know how we got here. 
Because, I want to remember that moment with my dad in that vineyard.
Because, I want you to remember John Saarloos. 

And Because.. 
It was about time that France Gave something back To John Saarloos. 

Sometimes, you get to make a difference. I am always amazed by how deeply this wine touches people. Every year it is a drastically different wine. Just as we are drastically different people. I can't begin to imagine the ways people are changed due to such great conflicts. It is a servants heart that moves you to serve in the military. And it is our great honor to honor those people with our humble wine. This wine has created a great tradition in our family. And we are proud to honor those that have come before us, in an effort to prepare the way for those yet to come. We are humbled.

This one is for Uncle John

He died defending our country in the  Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. John Saarloos was my Grandfathers Big Brother. He left home in order to defend and defeat an enemy abroad. He did this so his brothers did not have to. The sacrifice he made was for his Family, His Country, and Every one of us. Though John never had children of his own, I think he would be Honored that his sacrifice was not forgotten. They say you die twice, once when your body gives up, The other, when someone says your name for the last time.John Saarloos will Live Forever.

Thank you for your Courage John. 

This wine is made in your Honor.