Partida CreusMassimo & Antonella
Italian architects turned natural winemakers, recovering extinct Catalan varieties from abandoned vineyards. Zero-zero wines from the Massís de Bonastre since 2001.
From architecture to abandoned vineyards—the unlikely journey of two Italians rescuing Catalonia's forgotten grapes.
Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa were architects in Turin when they decided to abandon city life in 2001. Seeking a slower existence connected to the land, they settled in Bonastre, a remote village in the Massís de Bonastre, just an hour south of Barcelona.
While restoring an old farmhouse (El Maiol), they discovered abandoned vines—small, untended, nearly forgotten. The former owner explained that during the Franco era, the government had paid his father to rip out indigenous vines and plant olive and almond trees instead. The variety was Sumoll, historically one of the region's most important grapes but disqualified by the DO for its light color.
They began recuperating old parcels of native varieties—Vinyater, Garrut, Cartoixa Vermell, Trepat—that neighbors considered obsolete. People thought they were crazy: these were low-yielding, unknown grapes, abandoned for "international" varieties like Cabernet and Merlot. Now they're celebrated as the "crazy Italians" making some of Spain's most sought-after natural wines.
Clay, limestone, and the Mediterranean breeze. Farming abandoned varieties at the edge of the sea.
Hectares Planted
Of 22 total hectares estate. Small, focused production from recovered old vines and new plantings of extinct varieties.
Native Varieties
Sumoll, Garrut, Vinyater, Cartoixa Vermell, Trepat, Bobal, Macabeu, Xarel·lo, Parellada, and more.
Additives
No sulfur since 2013. No selected yeasts, no enzymes, no fining, no filtration. Zero-zero philosophy.
The two-letter wines. Field blends and single varieties distinguished by minimalist codes.
Vinel·lo Blanco
The white that defines Partida Creus. Seven varieties (Garnatxa Blanca, Macabeu, Xarel·lo, Moscatel, Vinyater, Pansé, Parellada) from 30-70 year-old vines. Foot-trodden, 1-2 days skin contact, raised on fine lees. Fresh, saline, Mediterranean herbs.
Vinel·lo Tinto
The red counterpart—Garnatxa Negra, Sumoll, Garrut, Trepat, and Cariñena. Whole bunch fermentation, short maceration, light and fresh with wild berries and herbal notes. The essence of Baix Penedès drinkability.
Xarel·lo Ancestral
100% Xarel·lo from vines planted 1993-95 on clay-limestone-gypsum soils at 260m. Two days skin maceration, bottled during fermentation for natural carbonation. Aged one year on lees. Electric, mineral, complex.
Bobal
From abandoned bush vines in Narboneta, Cuenca—400km inland at 350m altitude. Massimo travels south each harvest to pick this late-ripening variety. Powerful yet fresh, dark fruit with earthy minerality.
Macabeo
From 50+ year-old vines on clay-limestone at 230m. Three days skin maceration before pressing to stainless steel. Raised on fine lees until spring bottling. Textured, aromatic, with white peach and floral notes.
Muz Vermut
Base wine distilled and macerated with 51 botanicals, then blended back with wine and a touch of sugar. Aged six months in used oak. Unique in the natural wine world—complex, herbal, perfectly bitter.
"Let the vineyard fight. That struggle creates the force. We are just guardians of the grapes—nature does the work."