Olive oils and truffles
The estate is symbolized by 3 leaves: the vine, the oak, and the olive tree.
These perfectly illustrate the three main productions of Clos d'Alari: wines under the Côtes de Provence appellation, as well as fresh truffles and olive oil.
The estate in Saint Antonin du Var is ideally suited for these three types of cultivation.
The Olive Trees
"If it weren’t for the olive tree, I would be the first of all trees," said the Ash tree.
The olive tree is an ancient tree cultivated as early as 3000 BC, meaning over 5000 years ago.
It was first found in Palestine and Syria, gradually spreading to Mediterranean countries. Olive oil has been used for centuries.
In cooking, medicine, and daily life, olive oil has been essential:
It was used for lighting (burned in small clay or bronze lamps).
In religious practices, it became holy oil (Clovis was anointed with miraculous olive oil brought by Saint Remigius at his baptism).
Today, France cultivates about 2.5 million olive trees and operates 140 oil mills, compared to 800 million olive trees worldwide.
Many olive trees were lost due to severe frosts in 1956 and 1985, but replanting efforts have restored some of the population.
Olive trees in France are primarily cultivated in the south: Provence, the Alps, and the French Riviera.
"By lightly plowing around an olive tree, you ask it to produce; by fertilizing it, you beg it; by pruning it, you compel it." – Latin Proverb
An olive tree yields between 15 and 50 kg of olives, and it takes at least 5 kg of olives to produce one liter of olive oil.
The Olives
At Saint Antonin du Var, we harvest our olives in October and November when they are green or turning purple to obtain an oil with a green fruitiness.
Nets are placed around the trees, and we collect the olives by hand or with a comb to reach the highest branches.
Olive Oil
"On Saint Catherine’s Day, the oil is in the fruit."
In one day, we harvest between 60 and 250 kg of olives.
Once picked, the olives are placed in crates, then cleaned with an air blower to remove soil and leaves. They are then taken to the mill and pressed within 24 hours.
Olive Oil Production Process
- Leaf removal
- Washing
- Mechanical grinding
- Kneading of the olive paste
- Cold pressing to extract the olive juice
Vertical centrifugation to separate the oil from the vegetable water, producing extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil should be stored away from light and used within a year.
Different Qualities of Olive Oil
- Extra virgin: Maximum oleic acid content of 1%
- Virgin or fine: Maximum oleic acid content of 2%
- Regular: Maximum oleic acid content of 3.3%
Oleic acid levels indicate oil degradation during harvesting and production—lower acidity means better quality.
However, some prefer oil with higher acidity for a stronger taste.
The estate’s 400 olive trees can yield up to 400 liters of olive oil in good years. The trees are scattered across the property, many of them ancient, planted along vineyard terraces.
Our blend of different olive varieties—Cayon, Entrecasteaux, Picholine, and Aglandau—creates an herbaceous oil with aromas of freshly cut hay and violet artichoke.
The trees are not irrigated, only pruned and treated with Bordeaux mixture. The olives are hand-picked from late November to late December. It takes about 5–6 kg of olives to produce 1 liter of extra virgin olive oil, with acidity levels around 0.2–0.3%.
The olives are immediately taken to Moulin d’Aups, owned by Gervasoni, and pressed within 24 hours using a three-phase continuous extraction system. The oil is then decanted and stored in metal cans for 2–3 months before bottling.
We sell only the year’s fresh harvest, which is why our bottles are vintage-dated. It is a pure fruit juice.
Clos d’Alari has been an early member of the Var Olive Growers Association.
Since 2021, our olive oils have been certified organic, just like our wines.
The Truffle Orchard
Our truffle orchard has 160 trees producing Tuber melanosporum, also known as Périgord black truffles.
A Bit of History
The nickname “Black Diamond” was given to this precious mushroom by the renowned gastronome Brillat-Savarin in his 1826 essay The Physiology of Taste.
Thanks to modern truffle cultivation techniques developed in the mid-20th century, truffles have regained their esteemed place in gastronomy.
Once a staple at royal banquets and peasant tables alike, the golden age of truffles saw annual production rise to 2000 tons.
What Is a Truffle?
The truffle is the fruiting body of an ectomycorrhizal ascomycete fungus, appearing in a round or irregular shape. The fungus can produce multiple truffles.
Tuber melanosporum, or black truffle, grows exclusively in limestone soils at depths of 1 to 15 cm, beneath trees like oaks, hazelnuts, lindens, and hornbeams.
It starts developing in spring. It expands from mid-August, reaching full maturity months later. Harvesting, called caving, is usually done with a truffle dog or sometimes flies. Truffle production depends on a delicate balance between:
The tree’s root system and the fungus’s mycelium
The fungus and the surrounding soil Truffles form underground and develop veining structures that allow them to breathe and absorb nutrients. With summer warmth and late-summer rains, truffles rapidly grow, reaching their peak in September.
Truffle Orchard (Truffière) Characteristics. A truffière is a site where truffles grow, typically identified by a “burnt” patch around the base of host trees. Extreme frost can hinder truffle development, as it affects the first 5–20 cm of soil depth. Truffles require alternating periods of heat and moisture for fruiting.
Tuber melanosporum has lower water needs in June and July, but August storms greatly enhance its growth. Severe drought in May and June can be detrimental, as most truffle formation happens in April and May.
Truffle Harvesting
Truffle season lasts from mid-November to mid-March. The truffle hunter (trufficulteur) searches with the help of a trained dog.
Truffles in Cuisine
Many books have been written on this subject. Cooking truffles can diminish their flavor and texture. At Clos d’Alari, we prefer to use them as naturally as possible, incorporating truffle shavings into dishes and leveraging their intense aroma to flavor fat-rich foods like eggs.
Truffle Recipe Suggestions
Truffle Carpaccio
Prepare individual plates in the morning for the evening.
Arrange beef or scallop carpaccio on each plate.
Thinly slice truffles, drizzle with olive oil, and cover with plastic wrap.
Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving.
Season with fleur de sel and a twist of pepper mill.
Truffle-Stuffed Potatoes
Partially boil large potatoes.
Halve and hollow them out.
Insert truffle slices, reassemble, wrap in foil, and bake.
Serve with a sauce of poultry stock, fresh cream, port wine, and grated truffle.
Truffle Brie
Slice a farmhouse Brie in half. Insert thin truffle slices and close.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit overnight.
Serve with mesclun salad dressed in truffle-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar.