In a world obsessed with efficiency, Massimiliano Croci is a rebel who chooses to wait.
Located in the hills of Piacenza, Northern Italy, the Croci family has been farming the same 10 hectares since 1935. But when you walk through their vines, you aren't just walking on dirt—you’re walking on an ancient seabed.
1. A Vineyard of Fossils (The Secret to the Flavor)
Look closely at the soil in Monterosso and you’ll find it’s packed with limestone-rich seashells and fossils dating back five million years. This prehistoric terroir is what gives Croci wines their signature electric minerality and a subtle, savory brackishness that makes your palate sing. It’s "beach wine" in the most literal, ancient sense.
2. Rejecting the "Industrial Clean"
In the 1980s, the region shifted towards industrial, heavily filtered, and "clean" commercial wines. But when Massimiliano took over in 1999, he looked at his grandfather Giuseppe’s bottles from the 1930s and noticed something: the old, unfiltered, "rustic" wines had aged beautifully, while the modern ones felt empty.
He immediately ditched the shortcuts (like the Charmat method and heavy filtration) to return to the "Low and Slow" approach.
3. Sleeping with the Seasons
At Croci, the wine follows a natural cycle:
- The Winter Sleep: Fermentation starts spontaneously with wild yeasts in cement tanks. When the winter chill hits the cellar, the process naturally pauses. The wine literally "goes to sleep."
- The Spring Awakening: Massimiliano bottles the wine under a waning moon in the Spring. As the weather warms, the dormant yeasts wake up inside the bottle, finishing their job and creating those delicate, dancing bubbles. This is the authentic Spontaneamente Frizzante style—zero added sugar, zero added CO2.
4. Meet the 2022 Lineup
- Campedello 2022 (The Icon): Our most popular lightly sparkling orange wine. A blend of Malvasia di Candia, Ortrugo, and Trebbiano. It’s aromatic (think orange blossom and jasmine) with a rustic, bready texture from 15 days of skin contact.
- Valtolla Bianco 2022: A still Malvasia that’s all about structure. It spends 30 days on the skins, resulting in a pulpy, apricot-scented wine that feels like a warm Mediterranean afternoon.
- Valtolla Rosso 2022: A blend of Barbera and Bonarda. Earthy, vibrant, and honest. It’s a red wine with "soul" and a distinct sense of place.
Croci reminds us that the best things in life—and the best things in your glass—take time. Don’t rush it. Just open, pour, and taste the history of the land.
