Picked and pressed at the estate

Château Puech-Haut Olive Oil

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  • Bottles of Château Puech-Haut olive oil and their gift box resting on a stone
  • Bottle of Château Puech-Haut olive oil on a limestone rock, with an olive branch

Another harvest at the estate

An extra virgin olive oil, picked and pressed at the estate

Château Puech-Haut olive oil is an extra virgin oil produced entirely at the estate, in Saint-Drézéry, near Montpellier. It blends three southern French varieties, Lucques, Picholine and Négrette, picked by hand in December from our olive trees, then pressed in the estate's own mill. It is produced in small quantities.

"The most important thing to say about our olive oil is that no chemical process is involved in making it." The olive trees receive no chemical treatment, and from grove to mill, all the work is done by hand or mechanically.

  • Aerial view of the estate and its olive trees in Saint-Drézéry
  • Rangs d'oliviers de l'oliveraie de Château Puech-Haut
  • Old red truck parked among the estate's olive trees

The olive grove

Lucques, Picholine and Négrette: our olive trees in the Hérault

Our olive grove covers four hectares, on the same rolled-pebble terroir as the estate's vines, a few kilometres from Montpellier. The olive trees here are more than sixty years old.

Three southern French varieties grow side by side: Lucques, Picholine and Négrette. Their olives are blended to make a single oil, the estate's own, just as the grape varieties of a wine are blended.

Our method

How our olive oil is made

The estate has chosen cold pressing: the olives are pressed with no resting time and no fermentation. Here are the four steps, from tree to bottle.

  1. Rangs d'oliviers de l'oliveraie de Château Puech-HautRangs d'oliviers de l'oliveraie de Château Puech-Haut

    Caring for the olive trees, without chemicals

    All year round, our olive trees, more than sixty years old, are looked after without any chemical treatment: the work is done by hand or mechanically.
  2. Old red truck parked among the estate's olive treesOld red truck parked among the estate's olive trees

    Hand-picking in December

    The olives are harvested by hand in December, from the estate's olive trees.
  3. Olives harvested on the estate, from green to black, ready for the millOlives harvested on the estate, from green to black, ready for the mill

    A cold-pressed oil

    After the harvest, the olives are cold-pressed, with no resting time and no fermentation.
  4. Olive mill set among the estate's olive treesOlive mill set among the estate's olive trees

    Pressing at the estate's mill

    The olives are pressed on site, in the mill that belongs to the estate. Like any virgin olive oil, it is extracted by mechanical processes only, then bottled with nothing added.
  • Bottle of Château Puech-Haut olive oil suspended in a sunset sky
  • Bottle of Château Puech-Haut olive oil resting on a gnarled olive trunk

Tasting

The taste of our olive oil, and how to serve it

Our olive oil has a golden-green colour and a complex, harmonious nose. On the palate, it is balanced: intense fruitiness, a light bitterness and a hint of pepperiness on the finish. To discover it, taste it on its own first, on a piece of bread.

It is best used raw, to keep all its aromas: in salads, on tomatoes, grilled fish or roasted vegetables, or drizzled over a soup just before serving. To pair it with one of the estate's wines, find our ideas in our food and wine pairings.

Frequently asked questions

Your questions about Puech-Haut olive oil

Cooking, storage, growing the olive trees, method: here are our answers to the most common questions about the estate's olive oil.

Can I cook with Puech-Haut olive oil?

Yes, an extra virgin olive oil is also suitable for gentle cooking. But an oil with such a pronounced taste, produced in small quantities, is best enjoyed raw: as a dressing, or drizzled over a dish just before serving, to keep all its aromas.

How should olive oil be stored once opened?

Away from light and heat, far from the hob, with the cap tightly closed. Once opened, it is best used within the following months, as air gradually alters its aromas.

Do the olive trees receive chemical treatments?

No. Our olive trees are looked after without any chemical treatment, and no chemical process is involved in producing the oil either: picking is by hand and pressing is mechanical. The oil does not, however, carry any certification.

Is the olive oil cold-pressed?

Yes. The olives do not rest or ferment before pressing: they are cold-pressed in the estate's own mill.

Branches d'olivier en contre-jour

Where to buy our olive oil

Produced in small quantities, Château Puech-Haut olive oil is on sale at the estate and from our retailers.

Where to find our products

Also to discover

The estate's other flavours

Our olive oil is not the estate's only product: discover our wines too, our food and wine pairing ideas, tastings at the château's shop and the rolled-pebble terroir.