Vineyards Magazine

We are in the hills between the Val d’Orcia and the Val di Chiana. This is an ideal place for the cultivation of the olive tree and the production of excellent extra virgin olive oil. Avignonesi owns 1470 olive trees, and in 2016 they produced 1490 litres of certified organic extra virgin olive oil, all processed in their own olive mill.

Extraction

They pick olives in the sunny hours of the day, manually and with the use of facilitators. The olives are then transported directly to olive mill at La Selva Estate where they are washed and processed the same day. The crushing system runs on discs, which helps reduce trauma to the olives and thereby conserves more of the properties of the fruit itself. The olive paste is then kneaded into liquid in the malaxing system, a slow mixing in which the olive paste is gradually heated, allowing for the oil to be extracted. The last main stage is clarification, in which any remaining water and olive residue is removed from the oil using a centrifuge. The new olive oil is finally lightly filtered with cardboard filters.

Tasting notes

Yellow in colour with lively greenish hues, the 2016 extra virgin olive oil reveals delicate aromas of fresh, green grass and artichokes. Silky smooth, round and nutty on your tongue, with a slightly spicy finish.

This olive oil is organic and cold pressed.