Scouting for established trees in the variety needed always long precedes their planting. The trees arrive in an enormous container and the planting process is carried out with heavy equipment usually associated with building sites or road construction. The expertise and finesse of the operators of this equipment are quite impressive. They dig holes, add compost and fertilizer, plant adult trees and create earth water wells around each tree with a large scoop.
Then comes a good soak of water and the installation of irrigation without which these threes would not flourish. It takes around three years from planting to restructuring these large trees, ready for production. Yet, planting mature trees reduces the harvest time considerably as young olive plants take double that time to mature into fruit-bearing trees.
Why add a bouteillan grove, this ancient variety known in the Haut Var from the 10th century? These compact trees, with balls of dense, dark foliage, produce olives more prone to diseases such as the olive fly and cochineal than many other varieties. They are to boot, a low-yield olive. The answer lies in its aromatic properties which is useful in blending high-end olive oils (Pinatel 2015: 195). Furthermore, it is one of the main varieties included in the AOP Provence appelation and therefore fits our Provence designation. Bouteillan olives are rich in linocelic acids that if harvested early, provide expressive, green fruity notes with complex elements of greenery, green banana and apple. Later bouteillan harvests provide notes of pear and a weaker bitterness. (Pinatel 2015: 191-195)
Indeed, farming olive trees is a patient, future-looking investment. Rewards are reaped long after the planning has been completed and the planting executed. We are looking forward to the first harvest of bouteillan olives at the end of 2025 and the increased complexity of aromas this will bring to our olive oil blends.
In the business of producing premium extra virgin olive oils, the urge to assemble the perfect orchard mix is undenyable. To this end, we are planting more aglandau trees next. This will increase the quantity of oil with excellent conservation properties, which is indicative of high polyphenolic (antioxidant) compound levels, available for blending in our various oils. The aglandau olive's low linoleic and linolenic acids levels are contributing factors to our olive oils' good resistance to oxidation. This is why the Domaine de Gerbaud's premium extra virgin oils retain their freshness for so long - as long as you keep it in a dark, cool place!
The boutteillan trees arrived, ready to be planted. They are very frost-hardy and well-suited to our location at the foot of the Luberon Massif.
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