Despite one of the hottest European Summers on record, with no rain for 4 or more months, the olive harvest at Villa Montalbano Estate in Tuscany was successful and has produced one of the finest Extra Virgin Olive Oils we have ever tasted.
Harvested by hand in the first week of November 2022, this superbly fresh, first class olive oil must be tasted to be believed. It actually smells of Tuscany!
It has an aroma of olive and fresh grass. Its traditional Tuscan bitterness combines with plenty of amaro or pepper to excite even the most enthusiastic olive oil lover. There will never be enough of this wonderful olive oil.
Tasting and using freshly pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a treat that all should experience in life. Despite be a light olive oil, Villa Montalbano has a concentrated flavour. The amaro or pepper in the oil will kick your salads into life. The fibre of the olives create a velvety text to the start, as they are still freely circulating in it from the milling process. The vivid green olive oil actually has an aroma of fresh olives or mown grass.
Please be aware that this natural fibre will settle after time and can then be used for adding a little extra flavour into your cooking. A simple drizzle of this oil on a strong green leafed salad, with possibly a little cracked salt over the top, and you will have released a little magic.
Pair this years harvest with our stronger flavoured fruit and balsamic vinegars, such our Black Garlic Balsamic Vinegar, Bramble Vinegar, Raspberry Vinegar and Tayberry Vinegar for a refined and delicious dressing. Please be aware that stocks of this early oil are limited so it's first come first served!
Villa Montalbano is a privately owned Single Estate near Pistoia, roughly midway between Pisa and Florence, in the northern part of the Chianti region. Three ‘cultivars’ of olive are grown on the estate, Lecco, Frantoio and Murioli; the ratio of these varieties gives their oil its distinctive flavour and colour. The trees are hand pruned in the spring and the oil harvested in late October through to late December.
The olives are hand picked with the help of local families, who are repaid generously with up to half of the picked crop. The oil is then taken to be milled that same day to prevent any degradation, at the local 'Frantoio' co-operative mill. The olives are pressed mechanically ensuring the Extra Virgin status of the oil is preserved. The required maximum acidity for Extra Virgin Oil is 0.8% but Villa Montalbano regularly produces an oil under 0.2%.
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Montalbano oil is great for salad or just licking. Grassy, little tangy and deep flavour! Thank you for great customer service!
I bought Villa Montalbano olive oil and gooseberry vinegar for my mother in law as a Christmas present. She loves them so much.
Sourcing and developing new products often involves us heading to the hedgerows
Demijohn
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