Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Provence

"There is nothing better than dipping a piece of crusty bread in some luscious Provençal olive oil, the gleaming green oil emanating fruity and grassy flavours!"

– André Pieyre de Mandiargues

The Provençal olive tree

Olive trees are renowned for their hardiness. In 1956 however, Provence was hit by a great frost and only 250 trees survived on the farm. 900 new olive trees were planted between 1997 and1998. The varieties we grow are Aglandeau, Salonenque and small quantities of Grossane and Verdales des Bouches du Rhone. These trees produce olive oils with distinctive Provençal aromas.

Varietals and organoleptic properties:

Aglandeau produces oil that is fruity with varied levels of intensity and bitterness and has unripe fruit and grassy flavours such as artichoke, green tomatoes and cut grass.

Salonenque olives render a sweet and delicate tasting oil and it exudes notes of almonds and apples.

Verdale des Bouches du Rhone is slightly fruity with grassy and green apple aromas.

Grossane olives provide an oil with a sweeter, only slightly fruity taste that is useful for blending to temper the piquancy and bitterness of other oils.

The Olive Harvest

We usually harvest in the autumn from November to December. We harvest in a special way - by variety and parcel of trees, making early and later harvests of each variety. This method produces varied oils with distinct tastes from which we blend and optimize our Grand Cuveé Gerbaud and Cuveé Gerbaud extra virgin olive oils.

Cold Pressed Oil

The gathered olives are loaded and taken to one of three nearby olive oil mills where they are cold pressed as soon as they arrive. The shorter the period between picking and pressing, the higher the quality of the extra virgin olive oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Gerbaud

The olives are craftily blended together for our delicious artisanal extra virgin olive oils by Corinne Petit, a renowned olive oil expert from OliConseils. Every year brings climate and weather changes that affect the characteristics of that year’s harvest. These slight variations present interesting blending possibilities and this is where Corinne Petit’s great experience and skills shine.