AOP Vallée des Baux Olive Oil – 500 ml

Vallée des Baux AOP olive oil. A green-fruited cuvée made from four varieties grown in the Alpilles.

Vallée des Baux AOP olive oil is the extra virgin olive oil from the Castelas mill, with a protected designation of origin from Provence and pressed from four regional varieties. Not a cooking oil, not a mild everyday oil, not an oil with added flavourings.

Vallée des Baux AOP olive oil is the Classic from the Castelas oil mill in Les Baux-de-Provence, a cuvée made from Salonenque, Aglandau, Grossane and Verdale. Those who are familiar mainly with Italian or Spanish oils will discover a different character here. Tuscan oils are often intensely bitter, Andalusian oils fruity and rich. The oil from the valley of Les Baux lies somewhere in between, fresh, herbal and with a heat that unfolds slowly.

Raw artichoke, almond and green tomato

The oil smells of freshly cut grass and raw artichokes, followed on the palate by almond, green apple and the green of tomato plants. The bitterness is clearly noticeable but finely integrated. After a few seconds, a peppery heat emerges on the palate.

Bitterness and heat are not flaws in fresh olive oil, but signs of quality. They come from polyphenols, which are found in abundance especially in early-harvested green olives. Over time, they decrease, the oil becomes milder and loses its freshness.

The oil is best tasted pure from a small glass. Warm it briefly in your hand, smell it first, and then take a sip, aerating it slightly over your tongue. This allows the fruit, bitterness and heat to reveal themselves one after the other.

Those expecting a very mild, buttery oil will find this Classic too green and too lively. Oils made from ripe olives are better suited to this taste. The AOP Vallée des Baux has its own style for this: the Fruité noir, made from ripened olives.

Provençal cuisine, raw and as a finishing touch

The oil shows its strengths raw, as the final step over a finished dish. A tablespoon of it belongs with a ratatouille just taken off the stove. A few drops are enough on a goat cheese with thyme and a little Fleur de Sel.

For a pistou, the Provençal sister of pesto, pound basil, garlic and salt in a mortar and slowly draw the oil underneath. Without pine nuts and cheese, the taste of herbs and oil remains at the centre. A spoonful of it in a vegetable soup, and you have the Soupe au pistou of Provence.

It also pairs well with fish, such as grilled sea bream or a brandade made from salt cod. For a quick aioli, beat an egg yolk with crushed garlic and let the oil trickle in drop by drop until a firm cream forms. However, it is not suited to strongly seasoned dishes with lots of chili or curry, where its delicacy would be lost.

From experience: Such an aromatic oil is too good to waste on high-heat frying. High heat destroys exactly the fresh aromas for which you bought it. A simpler oil is sufficient for the pan; this one can be added afterwards.

A valley, four varieties and a mill at the foot of the castle

The Vallée des Baux lies between the limestone cliffs of the Alpilles in southern Provence. Since 1997, the region's olive oil has been protected by a designation of origin. The rules specify, among other things, the varieties that may be included in an AOP oil from the valley.

In the same year, Catherine and Jean-Benoît Hugues began cultivating old olive groves on the slopes below the castle of Les Baux. Their own mill, which they built in 2002, stands at the foot of the castle. Today, the family cultivates around 45 hectares in the valley and additional land in the Crau plain.

The trees grow on barren, stony soils in the dry climate of the Alpilles, shaped by the Mistral. Yields are lower there than in the large cultivation areas of southern Europe. In return, the olives ripen slowly and develop a dense aroma.

For the Classic, the olives are cold and purely mechanically extracted within six hours of harvest. This short time preserves their green, vegetal character. Only after pressing is the cuvée created by tasting and blending, intended to achieve the house's typical balance year after year.

A piece of Provence for the table

What sets this oil apart from many others is the combination of strictly regulated origin and its own mill. Cultivation, harvest and pressing are all in the same hands, and the AOP guarantees the varieties and the area. At the French agricultural fair in Paris, the Classic has won gold medals several times.

The slender dark bottle makes it an ideal gift for anyone who enjoys Provençal cooking or has spent a holiday in the Alpilles. Store the oil in a cool, dark place and consume it within a few months of opening. It pairs well with French tinned fish, such as sardines from Vendée or sardines with tapenade from Brittany.

An olive oil that tastes of artichoke, almond and the Alpilles, and gives every simple dish a Provençal finish.