Tragically, as you’ve likely seen, the city of Florence is currently under flood threat. Torrential rains have turned the normally gentle Arno into a river surging through the heart of the city at full speed and force.
Up in the hills on the north side, well away from the river, our friends at Sotto Fiesole farm, I’m relieved to say, are doing okay. The farm has been in their family for nearly 70 years and is integral to their identity. The trees are mostly many decades old, which means that while they yield less fruit, the oil of the olives has a greater complexity of flavor. The farm grows the traditional quartet of Tuscan olive varieties: Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino, and Pendolino. No sprays or artificial pesticides are used. The olives are still picked by hand—far more labor-intensive, but yielding far better quality.
Today the farm is run by twin brothers, Bernardo and Giovanni Conticelli. For years, they dedicated the estate’s oil to honoring the memory of their grandfather, Arturo Marassi, and used it solely in the family or gifted it to friends. We’re honored to be the first outlet for the family’s seven-decades-long passion. Bernardo, who was here in Ann Arbor to visit and teach last year, has quite the background. With a degree in Political Science and a master’s in Wine Marketing, he’s the official Champagne Ambassador to Italy. He teaches wine classes in English, Italian, and French. Making marvelous oil is his passion project. Or maybe they’re all his passion projects. Quality and care mark them all!
By the standards of Tuscany’s often big bold oils, the Sotto Fiesole oil from the Conticelli’s farm is lovely and delicate. The oil received a prestigious “three leaves” ranking from the Italian journal Gambero Rosso. Bernardo shares,
I harvested the olives this year on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of November. All were pressed within a few hours directly at the mill in San Casciano. Each press batch of 30-litres has been kept separated and only at the end, I tasted everything side by side and created the final blend to be bottled. This year, I’ve produced only a little more than 400 liters!
The season has been very challenging because it did rain for most part of October and part of November, so it was difficult to figure out the right time for picking without harvesting olives which were potentially charged of water inside; luckily in those days I’ve been able to pick in dry conditions and even the result has been interesting.
Due to these climate conditions, the yield has been very low which means production costs have increased quite a bit but I’ve been happy for the final quality at the end.
Last but not least, if you can notice on the olive oil label there is the addition of a little “moon” just next the olive tree; this is because the 15th of October—right at the beginning of the olive oil picking season—we had our little baby girl Luna (“moon”) and so I’ve decided to dedicate her the olive oil bottle!
This year’s oil is especially excellent—the Specialty Foods crew at the Deli has been raving about how delicious it is since the day it arrived. It has a complex aroma of tomato leaves and green grass. Loads of lovely high notes that make me think of Richard Thompson’s guitar playing on the classic “Walking on the Wire.” The flavor is balanced between spicy, peppery, and a clean artichoke note, with a long, lingering finish. Perfect for pouring on a slice of toasted Paesano bread from the Bakehouse.
