At Estoublon, the only harvesting method used is hand
picking. The picking team harvests the olives using combs which they pass
through the branches to dislodge the fruit, which falls into a net placed
around the tree. The net protects the fruit from any damage caused by contact
with the ground. Once sorted, with the leaves and twigs removed, the olives are
taken to the mill in slated crates. The Vallée des Baux de Provence AOP
(Protected Designation of Origin) status requires oil pressers to press olives
within three days of harvest so that the fermentation process does not begin.
But the owners of Château d'Estoublon have chosen to exceed the AOP
requirements and to reduce this processing time to 24 hours. The health of the
fruit is the best guarantee of olive oil quality. Grossane: Elegant, sweet and light. Discrete on the palate, la Grossane develops aromas of citrus fruit. It goes quite well with a salad of marinated scallops, fruit salad, particularly strawberries with a bit of lemon juice. Bouteillan: Balanced, aromatic, complex. La Bouteillan develops aromas of asparagus  tips, sweet tomato leaves and green apple. Use on steamed vegetables, or a tomato salad and on all fillet of fish before serving. Picholine: Pungent, fiery, pepper. Strong fiery and pungent, la Picholine is a wonderful flavor enhancer. Very typical, it brings out the lettuce like flavor of early vegeatables, on smoked fish, carpaccio as well as on steak tartar with a slice of lemon. Also excellent in sherbets and ice creams.