2019 Argot Wines Bastard Tongue Pinot Noir Sonoma County 750 ml

There’s a foolproof way to predict which wines will be HUGE in a few years: Go to Napa and Sonoma and find out which labels the locals and industry insiders are trying to chase down right now. 

These days, the answer is Argot. Winemaker Justin Harmon’s reds have inspired Jeb Dunnuck to compare them to some of the most sought-after cult wines in California—he even wrote “If you haven’t heard of Justin Harmon, you should write that name down”—and Argot’s 2019 Pinot Noir Bastard Tongue shows exactly what the excitement is all about.

This is the definition of a power-packed Pinot Noir—the kind we’d pour for our staunch Cabernet loyalists to get them thinking seriously about switching sides. From a winemaker who learned at the side of 100-point icon Russell Bevan—another producer of blockbuster reds—it’s no surprise that the Pinot grabs you by the lapel and doesn’t let go. 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has called Justin Harmon a “rising star,” but that fate was far from predestined. He fell in love with wine as a consumer and became so determined to make wine that he experimented with a concentrate kit—not exactly known for Grand Cru quality—in his parents’ basement near Chicago. When he finally found a winery that needed help, he flew all the way out to Sonoma County—for one day of work.

Fortunately for Harmon, the winemaker who accepted his help back in 2005 was Russell Bevan, the self-taught 100-point Cabernet master who was then working on his first vintage. Bevan allowed Harmon to return for the 2006 harvest, and eventually helped him found Argot. California Pinot fans—and the Pinot itself—are richer for it!