List of products by supplier Bricco Della Croce
Today I'm telling you about my visit to the Azienda Agricola Bricco della Croce, located in Cessole, in the province of Asti. As a true enthusiast of artisanal cheeses, I got in touch with a small farm in my region to arrange a pleasant visit on a late-winter day. I reach the farm by driving along a narrow, at times winding road, which brings me to 500 meters above sea level, in an area of Piedmont that is still truly wild and unspoiled, far from the main roads, among the hills of the Alta Langa that gaze not far off at the Ligurian Apennines. There to greet me is Mattia, a young farmer and cheesemaker, who tells me how, a few years ago, he decided to buy an old stone farmhouse typical of the Langa, abandoned for decades, and restore it to live there with his partner, Federica. On top of this hill stands a large iron cross, hence the name of the farm, "Bricco Della Croce." Let's just say Mattia was a real pioneer when he arrived among these woods! The work required to reclaim the pastures that the forest had taken back over time was considerable. In Mattia's story you can sense his innate passion for cheese and his desire to start a small herd of goats and sheep, from which he could begin devoting himself to his great passion: producing artisanal raw-milk cheeses while at the same time regenerating the land. Gradually, over time, the number of animals has grown, and today the barn is home to about 30 head of Pecora delle Langhe sheep and just as many Capra di Roccaverano goats, with the goal of building a herd of native sheep and goats. As I listen to Mattia's story, we take a pleasant walk through the surrounding meadows and woods where his animals graze, watched over by two magnificent, well-trained Maremma Sheepdogs, who constantly keep watch over the flocks. We reach the top of the hill, where you can enjoy a marvelous view of the surrounding countryside. At the end of the tour, we move to the small and spotlessly clean workshop used for processing this raw milk with its high nutritional properties, since the animals are raised semi-wild, feeding on wild grasses among the meadows and woods. Milking and processing take place daily, so this precious raw material must be carefully preserved in order to obtain high-quality products. Mattia's cheese production follows traditional styles, with a few special offerings among them, including Robiole, Sola, Toma di capra, Pecorino, and a small tometta flavored with saffron, with its intense yellow color and unmistakable aroma. Besides the cheeses, there is also a natural yogurt rich in live lactic ferments. My visit continues in the small aging cellar, where, in silence and under special environmental conditions, the cheeses rest, gradually gaining, thanks to time and Mattia's skilled care, even greater intensity and aromatic complexity — because raw-milk cheeses are living cheeses! Then comes the tasting, where I try, one after another, from the freshest to the most aged, all the cheeses from their production, and I am struck by the care in the craftsmanship that comes through in every type, where the salt is perfectly balanced, in some cases barely perceptible, truly letting the cheese speak in all its facets. Special mention goes to his Robiole, extremely delicate, clean on both nose and palate, well-balanced in flavor, rich in aromatic complexity and with a very pleasant lingering finish. In the landscape of Piedmontese Robiola production, it's not easy to find products like these! I say goodbye to Mattia and Federica, thanking them for the visit and for what has been a wonderful sensory and personal experience, rediscovering and further appreciating these wonderful lands and the people who, with tenacity and passion, live there and produce these marvelous products so deeply tied to the land and its traditions! Native "Langhe" breed sheep
