Our Story

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.

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.