Olive growing
The best extravirgin oils
The olive tree is such a crucial component of theTuscan agricultural tradition that various local official bodies have established appropriate guidelines.
Agricola San Felice boasts approximately 19,000 olive trees, which makes it one of the largest olive oil producers in the Chianti Classico and in the Montalcino area; it belongs to the DOP (Denomination of Protected Origin), for estate-grown and -pressed extravirgin olive oil.
The training system adopted for the trees has always been the classic vasetto toscano (trained along three main branches), preferred In Tuscany for its ease of harvesting, even though many groves are being converted over to to the vasetto cespugliato system, which yields better quality fruit.
The frantoio olive is the principal variety planted on both estates; the quality of its oil could be likened to the role the sangiovese enjoys with respect to Tuscan wines. Other minor varieties contribute to the distinctive character of each individual oil. At Campogiovanni, as at San Felice, one olive tree yields an annual average of 1-1.5 kg of oil, certainly a limited quantity but one that allows us to maintain a very high standard of quality for one of the world’s finest extravirgin oils.
Another advantage that San Felice enjoys is the olive press, right on the estate, so that the olives can be pressed very quickly after they have been picked, on the same day, actually, which itself is a guarantee of high quality of the oil produced.
