A quest for the best

Some weeks ago we read that the best olive oil in Italy, in fact, the best olive oil in the WORLD is made in a little town called Montenero, which is on the far side of Monte Amiata, about an hour's drive away. 

After a long stretch of winding mountain roads, my stomach was feeling pretty queasy and I was delighted when we finally saw the signs for Montenero, which was surrounded by olive groves.

We followed the signs for the Frantoio Franci right into the center of the village and found the little factory. There was no sign of any kind so we entered a glass door that took us right into the guts of the factory with its gleaming stainless steel equipment. Quiet now because it's not harvest time, still I could imagine all the clanking and chugging of the machinery in the fall season.

Stefania, a lovely woman with chic black lace-up boots, led us up and down stairs to the tasting room in what was an old stone barn in decades past. She guided us through a tasting of three of the firm's ten different oils. Stefania showed us how professional oil testers do it: using two small cups, one holding the oil and the other inverted over the top. We were told to twist the bottom cup in our palm for a few minutes to warm up the oil, thus releasing the complex aromas. After doing this, we poked our noses into the space between the two cups where the aromas were momentarily captured. Fresh mown grass, flowers and other scents of a meadow wafted up from the cup.

Next we drank the oil and sipped air in through our mouths to aerate the oil on our tongues. This was very much like a fine wine tasting. The luscious grassiness, some peppery notes and even a touch of cranberry was present in the flavors. The oil had a long finish and resulted in a fresh, clean, not oily mouthfeel after swallowing. All the complex sensations were very pleasing.

We repeated these steps three times and noted the differences between the oils. The final one, the Grand Cru, which is the oil that is the best of the best in the world was grassy, sunny, flowery, fruity, peppery and the flavors started out very subtle, but rose in intensity as the oil was warmed by our mouths. It was an incredibly intense experience.

We ended up buying a few bottles of the three we tasted and were rather pleased with ourselves that we had the great honor of tasting the best.