The Argonauts of the Gold Rush were charmed and captivated by Sam Brannan’s claim of gold in the American River. back in 1847 His proclamation proved the catalyst to a new era in American history, accelerating Westward expansion. For this Second Edition of The Claim, Steven Noble was tasked with creating this unique custom woodcut illustration that depicts Sam Brannan holding newly discovered gold surrounded by whiskey barrels for the new Argonaut Brandy labels.

Just as Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933, they began growing California grapes, and by 1938 and were making brandy. Eight decades and countless barrels later, we launched Argonaut.
They are one of the few brandy makers that own and manage the production process from start to finish. They are the grape grower, the winemaker, the distiller and master blender. This involvement in every step of the process allows us to maintain the highest quality standards at every step of the process.

Their distillation technique resembles that of whiskey, distilled with both alembic and coffey stills, and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. We distill on Prulho alembic pot stills housed at our McCall Distillery in Sanger (one of the oldest distilleries in California), as well as our Vendome column Coffey still. They craft our final blends from over 100 aged brandy stocks, ranging from two years to over two decades for the perfect balance of flavor and mouthfeel.

Theyuse our 80+ years of vineyard expertise to pick the grapes at their optimal ripeness for distillation with the ideal balance of acid, sugar, and flavor.