Our olive oil
Arbequina oil, early harvested and unfiltered
Castillo de Monteagudo Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made in a completely artisanal way with Arbequina olives harvested at the optimal moment and cold-pressed to preserve all the flavor, aroma and properties.
The arbequina olive is native to the town of Arbeca (Lérida), although it has spread throughout Spain and the rest of the world due to the quality of its oils and its ability to adapt to different climates and terrains. The trees are of low vigor and quick entry into production, ideal for new cultivation techniques. Early ripening avoids the risk of frost in December and January.
Arbequina olive trees produce small olives, which give rise to sweet and aromatic oils, with few bitter or pungent flavors.
Due to its popularity and geographical extension, arbequina oils can have many different nuances, but in general, vegetable aromas predominate: grass, apple, banana, tomato.
Arbequina oil is delicate and smooth, perfect for fish or seafood, to dress salads or simply to drink with toast and tomato. Its non-invasive flavor makes it ideal for dishes such as potato omelette or gazpacho, as it provides texture and aroma without overpowering the rest of the ingredients. It is also ideal for sweets and pastries thanks to its sweetness and low bitterness.
Cultivation and processing
In Castillo de Monteagudo we take exhaustive care of the whole process for the production of an extra virgin olive oil of the highest quality, from the selection of the best olives to the final bottling.
As we have a relatively small area – 50 hectares – our olive trees receive meticulous attention throughout the year. We constantly monitor their state of health and their needs in order to obtain olives of optimum quality.
A few weeks before the harvest, we analyze samples from the different farms to choose the ones with the best fruit, which we will use to produce our oil. We harvest the olives early (in October or November), which allows us to produce higher quality AOVEs, with more intense aromas and flavors. These early harvest oils are also superior in their physico-chemical composition, with a higher presence of polyphenols, which are substances where the antioxidant properties of olive oil reside, and less acidity and peroxides.
Early oils sacrifice productivity: ten kilograms of olives may be needed to produce one kilogram of early oil, while five or even fewer kilograms of olives are sufficient for a normal or late harvest oil.
For the oil to be of high quality, it is important that the olives are harvested directly from the tree, without coming into contact with the ground (known as “flying” olives). In our case, we ensure this by using state-of-the-art harvesters that pick the olives from the tree without damaging the olive tree.
We harvest them at the moment when they offer us the maximum aroma and flavor, we immediately transfer them to the oil mill and carry out the cold extraction with the most advanced technology so that the oil preserves all its properties.
Once the olives are separated from the tree, they begin to lose their qualities, which is why the journey to the mill must be short and the milling process immediate. At Castillo de Monteagudo we mill our olives just ten minutes away from the farms. In addition, we transport the olives in small boxes to avoid crushing, so they arrive at the mill freshly harvested and in perfect condition.
There they are ground in a modern stone mill that allows the oil to retain all its qualities. Subsequently, they move on to the blending, which is done by controlling the temperature below 27 degrees to avoid the loss of aromas.
The oil is separated from the water and the solid parts of the olive by centrifugation, and is transferred to the decanters to eliminate the remaining impurities before bottling.
All this process is done exclusively by physical procedures (crushing, centrifugation and gravity decanting), so the result is a natural juice of olives, with all its aroma and natural flavor and all the beneficial components for health, without having been in contact or added any substance.
Tasting note
CASTILLO DE MONTEAGUDO EVOO 2024 – ARBEQUINA VARIETY.
A warm spring with irregular rainfall supported abundant flowering. Two severe hailstorms in June and July damaged a significant portion of the newly set fruit, notably reducing final yields.
The trees that retained part of their crop benefited from reduced competition among fruits, producing olives with higher oil concentration and more defined sensory attributes. High temperatures at the end of summer and throughout autumn accelerated ripening.
Harvesting took place between October 23 and 30, with temperatures ranging from 8 to 21°C.
Soft green in color, clean and bright. On the nose, it shows aromas of fresh grass, green fruit and banana, with subtle almond notes and light hints of tomato and artichoke. On the palate it is delicate and very well balanced, with an elegant, silky texture, well-defined structure, and medium persistence.
This oil is well suited to preparations that benefit from a mild and harmonious profile. It complements steamed or lightly grilled vegetables, white fish and shellfish, as well as cold seafood dishes and fresh salads. It is also suitable for simple uses such as toasted bread with tomato, and its gentle character makes it appropriate for baking and pastry, either to accompany or as a substitute of butter.
