The passion that exists within every bottle of Doffo wine originates from their Italian ancestors who immigrated to Argentina in the early 1900s. Marcelo’s grandfather, Bernandino, settled in Pampas, Argentina where he grew soybeans and corn and raised cattle. Marcelo grew up on that land, and it was there that his love and dedication to the art of cultivation began.
As a young man, Marcelo immigrated to the United States and began a new life journey. In 1994 he visited the old country in the northern region of Turin, Italy and discovered that like every good Italian, his great uncle still made wine the old fashioned way in his basement. Marcelo returned home anxious to try his hand at winemaking, creating his first batches in his garage. By 1997 he had expanded his knowledge and developed his skills as a winemaker, and was awarded the silver medal from the Orange County Wine Society.This experience and honor sealed his fate. That same year he purchased an old cattle ranch in Temecula, California, complete with an historic one-room schoolhouse. The schoolhouse reminded him of a similar place he attended as a small child in Argentina. Starting with bare property, Marcelo painstakingly prepared the soil and installed trellises and irrigation lines by hand. He then planted his first vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with a small percentage of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Four years later, Marcelo was proud to introduce his first wine, calling it “Mistura.” Marcelo’s philosophy has always been that good wine making begins in the vineyard. From hand-planting each vine to the meticulous daily attention, Marcelo, his son Damian, and their crew take great care to produce intensely rich fruit that truly expresses their commitment to making world class wine. Doffo Winery produces small batches of wine in comparison to many other wineries in Temecula Valley, and the attention to detail that this affords results in bold, complex wines.