Every olive harvest there are so many extra virgin olive oils that need tasting to find out the best of the year´s production. This year the entries have been no different, the best Jaén Seleccion oils for the harvest 2021/2022 have again produced outstanding results. A panel of tasters chosen from some of the finest in the country best have been busy blind tasting the oils.

The competition began in 2003 with the idea of finding the best EVOOs from Jaén province as a way of promoting the excellent quality of oils that Jaén, the main producer of the country, has to offer.

Eight oils have been chosen and every one chosen is from the Picual variety of olive, seven of which are from traditional cultivation and one of the extra virgin oils is ecological.

This year 77 EVOOs were entered in the competition and they came from 42 municipalities across Jaén province, that´s 13 more entries than last year.

Jaén Selección Aceites de Virgen Extra 2022

Traditionally Cultivated EVOOs:

Ecological Extra Virgin Olive Oils:

  • Melgarejo from Aceites Campolivo in Pegalajar

 Reserva Familiar Picual

If you ever thought EVOOs all taste the same then you should try some different varieties. The early picked fruit that is made into green olive oil – more like juice than oil is amazing and only gets sold locally as its shelf life is short. The extra virgin oils are each unique, like wine. Here are some of the tasting notes (where available) from the blind tasters to whet your appetite.

A bright green colour and luminous oil with intense fresh olive fruitiness, and great complexity of herbaceous and fruity aromas, with green banana, almond and green tomato. In the mouth it is voluminous and well-structured, very expressive, sweet and slightly spicy.

Esencial

Picual a full-bodied oil with an intermediate and balanced bitter and spicy taste, intense fruitiness, without any kind of defects. It is also common for green notes to appear in its aroma, with tomato fruitiness. Among its best qualities is its great resistance to rancidity, thanks to the significant amount of vitamin E it contains.

Olibaeza

On the nose it is a fruity green olive with herbaceous and vegetal aromas such as tomato, reminiscent of the plants that cohabit our olive groves, together with slightly riper notes of fresh fruit such as apple, mango, green banana and almond. On the palate it is sweet on entry and recalls the same sensations perceived on the nose. Light bitterness and spiciness. Very balanced, with an almond aftertaste and a delicate and elegant persistence over time.

Dominus

Oil with green herbaceous nuances marked by spring notes that evoke a healthy fruit in full exaltation of its youth. The intensity of its fruitiness on the nose is complex and harmonious with deep almond notes. The breadth of its aroma begins with the tomato plant, turns towards green banana peel and ends with hints of wild flowers. In the background, but no less interesting, thyme and rosemary appear.

A smooth entry on the palate, with fresh, light and elegant registers that express the pleasant presence of aromatic plants combined with raw nuts. Its elegance shows the fraternity between aroma and flavour. After tasting, the palate is impregnated with a deep sensation of freshness with light hints of green almonds and raw nuts.

Esencial Olive

The result of our family’s obsession with quality. After many years producing extra virgin olive oils, we decided to make a commitment to producing exceptional oils. From this work comes Esencial Olive Noviembre, obtained from the first green olives, specifically selected and harvested in the first days of October.

A perfect EVOO to use raw on fish or red meat. In salads it enhances the fresh aromas of the countryside and gives a unique flavour to your dishes.

Balcón de Guadalquivir

Intense fruity smell of green olives, with herbaceous and vegetable aromas, tomato, artichoke and vegetables in the foreground. In the background, riper hints of almond, kiwi and green banana. Complex, clean and fragrant. Taste: It has a smooth entry in the mouth, with great harmony, which reminds us of the same vegetable sensations perceived in the nose. Balanced bitterness and spiciness. Almond aftertaste. Persistent

Oro Magna Sur

The result of a careful process of selection and transformation of the best olives from the Sierra Mágina region results in a high quality early EVOO.

Melgaro Ecológico

Harmonious and fresh. It is characterised by a sweet base in which the positive bitter and spicy attributes are very balanced and mitigated. The aftertaste is long. Very fresh and pleasant palatability.