Partida Creus
Penedès

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Partida Creus Winemakers

  • Massimo Marchiori &
    Antonella Gerosa

  • Penedès
    Catalunya, Spain

  • Organic

For many, Partida Creus is the winery with the highly recognisable two letter label. For me it is so much more. From the first time I met Antonella and Massimo in 2015, to every subsequent visit and ensuing late night, their beaming smiles and warm embrace, they are also the first producer I began working with in 2016.

Hailing from Piedmont, Antonella Gerosa & Massimo Marchiori moved to Barcelona in the late 90's. After several years they yearned a quieter life and reconnection with the land. Their search found a property in Bonastre, El Maiol, in 2005.

Whilst working at El Maiol they discovered an abandoned vine, small and untendered. After speaking with the former owner, they learnt that the property was once a vineyard, but during the Franco era the government paid his father to remove the vines and plant olive and almond trees instead. The variety was Sumoll, a forgotten indigenous grape that once thrived in the Catalan area before growers decided French varieties would bring commercial success and planted Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah instead. Antonella and Massimo made the decision to remove the unwanted trees, recoup the soil and restore the vineyard, planting it to the ancient variety Sumoll. 

With the idea to make some organic wine for themselves and friends, the vineyard produced its first grapes in 2007.

When researching Sumoll and discovering it was historically one of the most important varieties of the area, Massimo also found other indigenous near extinct varieties: Vinyater, Cartoixa Vermell and Garrut.

Located at 150-200 meters altitude and just 5 km as the crow flies from the Mediterranean Sea, they have 22 hectares (6 planted to vines). They also work with local farmers, resurrecting ancient varieties. Farming is only in organic with complete respect for the land.

The Bobal is a special story, coming from Narboneta, in the province of Cuenca a little over 100km inland at an altitude of 350 meters. Massimo was offered some abandoned Bobal bush vines several years ago. Despite the distance, the lure of a historically important variety with a special terroir was too great. Bobal is a later ripening variety, harvested several weeks after Penedes. Massimo and Antonella travel south to Cuenca for several days every harvest, picking the Bobal in the cool of the morning and returning to Bonastre where it is processed.

There was a shift in 2021, with all single varietal cuvees (red and white) now seeing elevage in oak or acacia barrels.

All fruit is hand harvested. And whilst organically certified wines allow for sulfur, Antonella and Massimo ceased sulfur additions entirely in 2013.

A key component of their wines is freshness, salinity and acidity. These are wines made to be drunk, to be enjoyed, authentic and living.

The Wines

  • Varietal Grapes / Botanicals
    Colour Other (Red)

    Red Vermouth in a litre bottle. The base is a blend of young red wine, aged red wine and oxidative white wine, all from Certified organic grapes. A mixture of 51 botanicals (including citrus skins, flowers, oriental spices, roots and herbs) sourced from an herbalist in Torino, Italy where Antonella and Massimo hail from. The botanicals macerate in the alcohol for 2 months, a vermouth produced without any added sugar. 

  • Varietal Parellada Rosa
    Colour Sparkling Red

    This release of Ancestral Anonimous is produced from an ancient Catalan variety Parellada Rosa. Disgorged sparkling.

  • Varietal Parellada / Honey
    Colour Sparkling (Other) 

    Hydromiel Ancestral (sparkling) produced from estate honey and Parellada. The honey is diluted in spring water until a concentration of sugar, around 180-200 g/l is obtained. The natural start of the fermentation is quite difficult, and for Massimo it is integral to ferment with yeasts from the grapes. The last white grape that to come into the cellar during harvest is Parellada. It is de-stemmed and macerated for 2 days then softly pressed. A portion of the skins is then added to the honeyed water to allow fermentation to begin. At a density of around 1010 the skins are removed, and the wine is bottled at a density of 1001.

  • Varietal Grenache Blanc / Macabeu / Moscatel / Xarello ++
    Colour White

    Seven local varieties form the blend, Garnatxa Blanca, Macabeu, Moscatel, Xarello, Vinyater, Pansa, Parellada each grape approximately equal in proportion. Vinel.lo is made as a rolling ferment, the first grape is harvested and one to two days later the juice from the next grape is added, extending the wines’ fermentation as a whole. Importantly allowing the yeasts from each variety to ferment together. Èlevaged on lees in tank for 8 months.

  • Varietal Macabeu / Cartoixa Vermell
    Colour Orange

    Macabeu and Cartoixa Vermell, blended after fermentation, èlevaged in tank.

  • Varietal Cartoixa Vermell
    Colour Orange

    Cartoixa Vermell, from the Xarello family, is a white grape with red flesh. It spends 60 days on skins and is èlevaged in tank for 9 months.

  • Varietal Cinsault / Grenache / Carignan / Trepat / Sumoll ++
    Colour Red  

    Seven local varieties form the blend, Samso, Garrut, Trepat, Ull de Perdiu, Queixal de Llop, Sumoll, Garnatxa Negra each grape approximately equal in proportion. Vinel.lo is made as a rolling ferment, the first grape is harvested and one to two days later the juice from the next grape is added, extending the wines’ fermentation as a whole. Importantly allowing the yeasts from each variety to ferment together. Èlevaged on lees in tank for 8 months.

  • Varietal Sumoll / Bobal / Ull de Llebre
    Colour Red

    A blend of Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), Sumoll and Bobal. De-stemmed and macerated for 3 to 4 days, èlevaged in a combination of tank and used barrels for 8 to 10 months. 

  • Varietal Bobal
    Colour Red

    From one single barrel I selected specifically for Australia. Bobal from a plot of old bush vines located next to the river in Narboneta. The soils sandy granitic. The fruit was de-stemmed, macerated for 2 days and èlevaged for 12 months in one old barrel. 

  • Varietal Sumo
    Colour Red

    100% Sumoll from calcareous clay soils, de-stemmed and macerated for 3 days. Èlevage for 14 months in used barrels.

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