Marc Piro knew he wanted to be a winemaker when he was 9 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, and, inspired, he announced, “Mom, I want a vineyard.” Her response was curt, “Well, then, get a good job.”

It took Marc a while to get a full time job, but in the process he has spent years traveling the world and making wine under the supervision of talented winemakers in Argentina, New Zealand, Western Australia, and California. He now works with the Au Bon Climat and Qupé wineries in Santa Maria, with Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist, two of the legendary names of Santa Barbara County. From Jim and Bob, and from each international experience, Marc has picked up different methods, tricks, and secrets, eventually tying them together into his own unique winemaking style. In 2016, he is celebrating his 10th harvest.

True to his boyhood promise, Marc is fulfilling his dream by launching the 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.”