My guests this week are husband and wife wine making team Justin & Beth Harmon from Argot (R – Go) Argot \ ˈärgō \ : a shared language associated with tight-knit groups, borne from, and reinforcing said group’s intimacy wines. These two were in Wichita not long ago to showcase the great wines they are producing. They have an interesting story and it’s great to have their limited production, top shelf wines here in the flat lands. Follow Argot on Facebook
Some things are simply meant to be….
It was September 2011, and harvest was in full swing at a garagiste winery located in Sonoma County. Three tons of grapes had just arrived for processing. An eager-to-learn intern took her place at the sorting table, awaiting clusters to begin speeding by.
Before long, the winemaker arrived at the table and grapes began flying … along with playful banter and the usual mix of instructional and irreverent conversation. Subsequent days working together in the winery led to further interactions, deeper conversations and an exchanging of phone numbers. A dinner date was set.
Justin & Beth Harmon & Good Life Guy
Over the course of the evening, they shared a bottle of red wine, a pizza and each other’s stories. The winemaker, Justin Harmon, had left behind his life in Chicago to pursue his dream of starting a wine brand. The intern, Beth Thompson, was no stranger to pursuing dreams herself having grown up in small-town East Texas, believing from an early age that there were brighter lights and bigger skies out West.
A whirlwind romance followed, filled with more beautiful memories than this short story can contain, and in November 2015 they married. Beth continued to pursue her successful career in sales and marketing for multiple wineries, and Justin continued to grow Argot’s production and notoriety. Over the ensuing years, Beth began contributing more and more of her time to Argot before they officially joined forces in running the winery together full-time.
Today Justin and Beth oversee every aspect of Argot—from the vineyard, to the winery, to the bottle and all things in between. They are proud to be a first-generation winery, making a name for their family by producing some of the greatest wines in California, and beyond.
visit argotwines.com to learn more!
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Argot – Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2021
94 points | $105 | Only 225 cases made.
Alluring, with a mix of gently mulled red and black cherry and mulberry fruit melding steadily with black tea, singed wood spice, chaparral and savory notes as this moves along, all while maintaining definition and understated energy. Drink now through 2029. 225 cases made. ABV15.6
This was just one of the wines tasted with Justin and Beth here in Wichita. We’ll be talking about several of their wines that are available at Jacob Liquor Exchange.