April 11, 2020 by Can Tastemel
Piro Wine Company
Marc Piro knew he wanted to be a winemaker when he was nine years old. He sat in the crowded backseat of his family’s beige Mercedes diesel station wagon as they drove through the vineyards of Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. Inspired, he announced, “Mom, I want a vineyard.” Her response was curt: “Well, then, get a good job.”
Marc grew up in Marin County and visited Santa Barbara for the first time when he was fifteen. From that moment on he knew he wanted to end up there. True to his boyhood promise, Marc fulfilled his dream by launching Piro Wine Company, a boutique label focused on his favorite varietal, Pinot Noir. As he puts it, “I strive to make old world style wines from the new world: extremely delicious wines of balance, elegance, and structure.” Marc has spent years traveling the world making wine under the supervision of talented winemakers in Argentina, New Zealand, Western Australia, and California. Margaret River, Australia was Marc’s favorite place… “That’s tough, every place was pretty awesome. But if I had to choose I would probably say my harvest down in Australia. I lived with a buddy of mine, close to the beach. We made wine and surfed.”
He now works with Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist of Au Bon Climat and Qupé wineries in Santa Maria. Jim and Bob are two legendary winemakers in the valley and they continue to help Marc perfect his craft and develop his own unique style of winemaking. Marc will celebrate his 16th harvest this coming fall.
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