Producer Spotlight - Marc Piro, Santa Barbara's Best Kept Secret
Santa Barbara County has earned its place among the world's great wine regions, and the names that made it famous are well known. Then there are the ones you hear about quietly, from a sommelier or a friend with good taste. Marc Piro is one of those names.
Every time I open a bottle of Piro, I'm taken straight back to Santa Barbara. The bouquet is unmistakable: the fog, the coastal air, the land itself. These are wines that speak with a distinct sense of place, made by a winemaker who would rather let the vineyard do the talking. I sat down with Marc to find out who he is, what inspires him, and why one of California's best-kept secrets may not stay secret much longer.
Quick Bio:
I’ve been working at Au Bon Climat for 15 years now. My role has grown from intern, to
cellar hand, to assistant winemaker, and now finally as head winemaker. Au Bon Climat
feels like home, and I realized early on that this is where I want to stay. I started Piro
Wine Company in 2014. Jim Clendenen, Bob Lindquist, and Jim Adelman were all great
mentors to me, they saw my potential and taught me, though sitting back and listening
to their banter was enough to teach any young, aspiring wine prospect. They allowed
me to make my Piro wines at their facility, which motivated me to work harder on their
wines. Making wine is great job, but what really satisfies me is knowing that I
inspire cheer around the world to those who are drinking and sharing the wines that I
have made… whether it be Piro Wine Company, Au Bon Climat, or any other project I
have my hand in.
T&T: You told your mom at nine, "I want a vineyard" and she said, "get a good job." What
was your first real job, and how long did it take wine to win?
MP: After I graduated college, the thought was to enter the wine business immediately. I accepted a job to work harvest in Australia, it took me longer than expected to receive my work visa. Harvest had already begun once my visa was approved, so I had defer my Australian harvest experience. Instead I moved to Sydney and worked at a burrito shop and a surf shop in Bondi Beach. The following year I went to New Zealand to start my career in wine.
T&T: Growing up in Marin, close to Napa and Sonoma, what made Santa Barbara the place
that stuck?
MP: When I was 15 I visited Santa Barbara to tour UCSB as a prospective college for myself. The sunny days, proximity to the beach, and overall beauty of the area stuck with me. Wine aside, I thought to myself, “I’d like to live here once I’m an adult."
T&T: Was there a bottle or a person that turned the dream into a career?
MP: There was no wine or bottled that shaped my career, but mostly every winery I worked at had a knowledgeable/famous winemaker at the helm. My idea was to learn from the best in the business.
T&T: When did wine stop being a dream and become your actual job?
MP: In 2014 I started Piro Wine Company, so at that point I guess I graduated from cellar hand to winemaker.
T&T: What did the years in Argentina, New Zealand, and Western Australia teach you that
you couldn't have learned at home?
MP: Working at different wineries in general, learning from different winemakers, helps expand your winemaking tool belt. You see different styles, see how others address problems, and apply what you have learned from the people you have worked with. Knowing that wine was a long term career for myself, I wasn’t shy to ask any questions or listen to what knowledgeable people were saying.
T&T: Was there a moment, maybe a bad vintage, when you thought about walking away?
MP: Now might be a good time to walk away… wine sales are down across the world, there is a huge amount of vine disease pressure in california, tariffs have been affecting international sales and packaging costs, shipping wine anywhere is extremely expensive because of gas prices. It’s a rough time in the industry at the moment, but
wine has been around for 6,000 years, so I don’t think it’s going anywhere… so I think I’ll stay put
T&T: Which winemakers or wines shaped your idea of what Pinot Noir should be?
MP: Without a doubt, Jim Clendenen.
T&T: You trained in Jim Clendenen's cellar. What's the lesson from him you still hear at
harvest?
MP: “Pick ripe, not overripe.” Everyone has a different idea of ripeness, but Jim taught me balance, moderate alcohol (13.5%) and enough acid to cut through pork fat.
T&T: How has his passing changed how you think about your own responsibility to the
valley?
MP: I feel more of a macro responsibility to the world, than locally. Since Jim died, I realized
I have some pretty big shoes to fill. I compare it to filling in for Mick Jagger. Au Bon Climat ships wine to 58 markets worldwide. As ABC’s winemaker, I feel it is my duty to fulfill Jim’s vision, making the same wines, in the same manner that he did for the sake of the customer. He mentored me for 10 years before his passing and taught me way more than I can remember.
T&T: What's a non-wine influence, such as surfing, food, or music, that shows up in your
wines?
MP: Well, I just bottled a wine called “Lucille,” named after BB King’s guitar. The idea of that wine is to have darker, “blue(s)” fruit profile, rather than a red, strawberry/raspberry profile. I love music and have an addiction to instruments.
T&T: I'll need to try that bottle...If you described your style in one sentence to a stranger, what would you say?
MP: My wines are more for the Francophiles who appreciate nuance, balance, and acid.
T&T: You've said you make old-world wines from new-world fruit. What does that actually
mean in the vineyard and the cellar?
MP: The winemaking methods I use are the same methods that Jim Clendenen learned in Burgundy in the late 70’s and early 80’s and brought back with him to Santa Barbara. This means strictly, barrel fermentations for the whites, no lees stirring, open top red fermentations, gentle extraction, minimal racking, using only French oak vessels, egg white fining (cracking the eggs myself, rather than purchasing some lab derived egg-white protein).
T&T: Why is acidity the backbone of how you think about balance?
MP: Acidity keeps the tannins in check, it keeps the alcohol in check, it focuses the wine on your palate. Without acidity, the tannin would be out of balance, the alcohol would be out of balance…. wines without acid sit in your mouth flabby, it’s just not enjoyable, nor refreshing, and not complementary to food.
T&T: What do you do differently from your neighbors that most people would never notice?
MP: I probably keep my wines on the lees a bit longer and in barrel longer than most of my neighbors. My rationale behind this is, while keeping wine on the lees I am able to use less SO2 since the lees is an oxygen sink, naturally preventing oxidation. More texture and flavor also comes with the lees contact. Extended barrel age, to a point, will help with longevity of the wine.
T&T: If someone could taste only one of your wines to understand who you are as a
winemaker, which would it be, and why that one? What does it say about you?
MP: I would definitely pour someone my flagship, Pinot Noir from Presqu’ile Vineyard. It’s not upfront and in your face. If you drink and enjoy Caymus, I implore you to not try my wine. My Presqu’ile Vineyard pinot is pretty and nuanced. It is light on its feet, and has beautiful red fruit, raspberries and strawberries, black tea, spices…. I’ve had a few winemakers from Burgundy tell me, “I didn’t know it was possible to make this type of wine in California.”
T&T: What's the best bottle you've ever had, or the wine that changed how you think about
wine?
MP: Barolo 2004, Rocche dell’ Annunziata Torriglione made by Roberto Voerzio was eye opening bottle. I didn’t know a wine could have so many complex, almost contradictory flavors. I remembered thinking it tasted like Jimi Hendrix was playing with Pink Floyd.
Marc, thank you so much for your time, it was a pleasure learning more about you and your process. You truly are one of my favorite producers, and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your wines. Cheers!
