As a consumer of fine wine, I always appreciated knowing there were real people and a real story behind the bottle. Family wineries are uniquely able to be that. That’s important to us.
— Tim Armstrong, Winemaker & Co-Owner
When people visit us, we really want the experience to be welcoming and approachable. We work really hard to make fantastic wine and we want the experience to live up to that.
— Jen Armstrong, Co-Owner
Starting From Scratch
We’re Tim and Jen Armstrong. We started Armstrong from scratch — no family vineyard, no inheritance, no shortcut. We were a young married couple in Chicago, just starting our family, when we decided this was the thing we wanted to build. What we had was a deep love of wine, a lot to learn, and the conviction to do it right.
The Journey to Walla Walla
It began with a single bottle of Walla Walla Merlot from a Chicago wine shop. It turned our heads toward Washington — so we packed up the family and moved across the country. We started the winery in the Seattle area and spent years there learning the craft. But the vision was always to be out in the vineyards. So in 2017, we bought the farm — literally — and moved to Walla Walla. It’s home now, and we wouldn’t make wine anywhere else.
A Commitment to Place
We believe in the Walla Walla Valley because it speaks through its wines. The soils, the shifting seasons, the character of this place all come through in the glass. Our job as farmers and winemakers is to stay out of the way enough to let it.
How We Make Wine
Our wine isn’t manufactured. We farm two estate vineyards and partner with growers who share our values, and we make wine the old way — by hand, with a light touch, intervening only when we have to. We make it with restraint, built for balance and made to age. We’re inspired by the Old World, but the goal is always a wine that’s honestly of Walla Walla, and of us. The proof is in the glass.
Wine as a Pause Button
Great wine is more than a good drink — it’s a reason to stop. To put the day down, pay attention, and be present with the people across the table. That’s the part we care about most. That’s what we’re really making.