Growing up in Queens, Troy made wine at home with his father and grandfather. After working in the New York corporate world for six years, he came to realize that his hobby was also his calling, so he quit his job and hit the road for California to study enology. He fell in love not only with the art and science of winemaking, but also with the beauty of Northern California—Sonoma County in particular.

Troy honed his craft through lots of hands-on experience working with world famous wineries. He is relentless in his pursuit of quality and terroir, and has implemented processes at C. Donatiello that allow him to literally handcraft every bottle. He considers winemaking to be an ancient, honorable profession, and he does it with a combination of humility and humor.