Trovato Schrage Selections - October 14, 2020
Tasting Notes
Harvest 2019/2020
EVOO
While we are months from the 2020/2021 Harvest, the 2019/2020 is here! With each new year comes different temperatures, moisture, precipitation variations, and many other factors which influence the growth of each tree, its flowers and fruit, resulting in subtle changes in the flavor of the olives every year, which if produced with care, is represented in the oil.
Just like a good wine... it all depends on the atmospheric environment, soil properties, management and processing of the farmers.
That's why each year we bring you a new review of the quality and flavors of the new year according to our tastings and use with the oil at home, so you can make the best choice depending on your taste.
We encourage you to try each of the three different varieties selected from Andalusia, as each of them pairs best with different dishes, because every olive variety, just like with grape, or apple, or tomato varieties, has its own unique flavors.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
TASTING 2019/2020
GORDALILLA
Gordalilla olives are unusual to find in olive oil. They are a meaty olive. Farmers usually ripen them and sell them to make table olives, because it's easier and more profitable. Instead of doing that, the López-Montero family harvests and processes them early in the season. The oil is usually milder than the other two varieties. This olives profile is generally of light, floral, and buttery characteristics, but the combinations and intensities of these characteristics, i.e. the "flavor journey" changes from year to year, or even between different lots harvested on different days.
2019/2020 JOURNEY NOTES:
STARTS with a slightly buttery floral fruity taste
FOLLOWS with increase in level of spice, keeping an underlying butteriness while the floral fruity sweetness decreases.
FINISHES with a mild spicy taste that is characteristic in all olive fruits, caused from polyphenols.
VIDUENA
Vidueña olives are actually quite common in this region of Spain, but tasting 100% Vidueña is a privilege. Most farmers sell their Vidueña olives to large processors who blend it with other varieties. Luckily, the family at La Laguna de Fuente de Piedra processes all their olives separately. Viduena has a general profile of nuts and sweeter fruits, as well as grassy and with higher spice than Gordallia.
2019/2020 JOURNEY NOTES:
STARTS nutty with an slight undertone of grassy spice
FOLLOWS with a swelling of dried fruit (I get dried apricots),
FINISHES with an intense spike of the formerly underlying spiciness
LECHIN
Lechin is a more primitive variety of olive tree. If there is such thing as "old world" for olive oil, this would be it. It's intense and spicy, with bitter fruit notes. They are among the oldest trees on the farm.
2019/2020 JOURNEY NOTES:
STARTS with a intense melting buttery mouth feel with a slight bitter fruit skin note
FOLLOWS with a mild swell of grassy spice
FINISHES with a second wave of bitter fruit skin (I get plum skin).
You can find different size presentations of our EVOO harvest 2019/2020 in our online store.
Cheers, enjoy good food!
