Marc Piro
Marc Piro
USA • Santa Barbara County
Marc Piro knew he wanted to be a winemaker when he was nine years old. The memory is still fresh in his mind, as he sat in the crowded backseat of his family’s beige Mercedes diesel station wagon, driving through the vineyards of Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. He was inspired and announced, “Mom, I want a vineyard.” That was over twenty years ago, and now Marc Piro is the proud owner and winemaker of Piro Wine Company, an ultra-boutique Pinot Noir producer nestled in the Santa Maria Valley of California’s Central Coast.
The San Rafael native grew up a stone’s throw away from Napa Valley and remembers the enchanting wine country having a pull on him early on. He also remembers playing in his father’s wine cellar and enjoyed cooking from a young age as well. It seems he was always destined to find his way into the winery business.
Marc went on to attend the University of San Diego where he earned his degree in Business and spent time dabbling in homebrewing; but, the persistent lure of the vineyards and wine country lifestyle made him realize where his true calling was.
After graduating, Marc made his way down to New Zealand where he worked his first job in the winemaking business - a night shift at a custom crush facility in Gisborne. He also spent time at Villa Maria on the South Island before making his way back to California for a stint at Thacher in Paso Robles. It was here that Marc met legendary Argentine winemaker Santiago Achavel who offered him a job at his Achaval-Ferrer Winery in Argentina.
His journey continued in 2012, when Marc began at the highly acclaimed Au Bon Climat Winery back on California’s Central Coast. After a brief internship at the pioneering winery, Vasse Felix in Australia’s Margaret River region, Marc returned to Au Bon Climat and he’s been there ever since.
Both Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist, the legendary vintners of Santa Barbara County’s Au Bon Climat and Qupe, respectively, have been supportive of Marc Piro’s journey, especially when he decided it was time to launch a label of his own, Piro Wine Company. In 2014, Marc made his first 100 cases of Pinot Noir from the Presqu’ile Vineyard and was on his way.
Marc’s boutique wine label is focused on his favorite varietal, Pinot Noir, which he sources from Presqu’ile Vineyard, Bien Nacido Vineyard, and Runway Vineyard - three of the most celebrated Pinot Noir vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, and he’s releasing under 1,000 cases total each year.
Wines We Carry
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