Having spent the second week of November in Tuscany assessing the 2023 olive oils, just as they were being pressed, we came back with some good news and some bad news.

The good news was that the quality was excellent. The best oils (from the best estates) have beautiful flavors and aromatics, terrific fruit on the palate, and just enough spice in the finish to reminds us of the oils' Tuscan origins.

The bad news is that there's hardly any oil! In fact, production was down an incredible 75% from a normal year. And some of our favorite growers—particularly in the hills east of Florence—made no oil at all.

There were three general causes. The first is that the trees took a break after the super-abundant crop they produced in 2022. It is not uncommon for olive trees to produce a lot less fruit after a year of heavy production. They need a rest.

The second and third causes were the continued hot and dry weather that's become the norm in Tuscany, as well as the hot, dry winds that stripped the fruit from the trees in some areas. 

Given the tough conditions, we're sure that much of the oil sold by other sources will be of below-average quality. That’s why we chose so carefully, not only visiting the frantoios and the groves, but tasting countless pressings to find the year's best.

Our Selections

We are confident that our choices represent the cream of the 2023 harvest.

As always, you can be confident not only in the elite producers we work with but in the individual pressings we choose to have bottled just for us.

The heart and soul of this year's offers are two 5-bottle assortments, which are geographically based, representing the best oils we found this year.

The Central Tuscany Assortment features a Murderer's Row of extra virgin oil from Chianti Classico, including the new Tuscan star, Elaine Trigiani, and the beautiful single-variety oils of Pruneti.

The Eastern & Western Tuscany Assortment is more diverse, representing Montenero, south of Montalcino; Bolgheri, along the Coast; the Pratomagno Mountains, East of Chianti Classico; and Rufina, to the East of Florence. Included in this set is Franci's rare Grand Cru, which many consider Italy's greatest olive oil.

But there's more. With each assortment, we'll include a free bottle of one of our top oils from the excellent, and much more abundant, 2022 crop. Not only will this give you a complete 6-pack (at the price of 5 bottles), it will demonstrate just how well our oils age.

Flat-Rate Ground Shipping

We can offer discounted flat-rate ground shipping to a single address in the Continental U.S.:

$20 for six 500ml bottles
$32 for twelve 500ml bottles

Central Tuscany Assortment

Includes 1 bottle each Elaine Trigiani, Melograno, Volpaia, Pruneti Leccino and Pruneti Frantoio + One Free Bottle of 2022 Oil

$175.00

Eastern & Western Tuscany Assortment

Includes 1 bottle each Franci Grand Cru , Ságona, Fonte di Foiano Toscana, Fonte di Foiano "1979", Vetrice + One Free Bottle of 2022 Oil

$175.00

Notes on the Oils

Note: Resa is a measure of yields, expressed as the weight of the oil compared to the weight of the olives. The lower the number, the lower the yield. Historically, yields in the 15 to 17 percent range were typical for fine estate-grown Tuscan oil. Today's yields are much lower, in the 10 to 13 percent range.

Central Tuscany

2023 Elaine Trigiani Olio della Donna “Piero”
Resa 12%, harvested Oct. 28th
We were introduced to Elaine Trigiani three years ago, just as her star was beginning to rise. Today, she’s one of the biggest names in Tuscan olive oil, producing tiny lots of full-flavored, yet elegant, oil from trees in the Val di Pesa area of Chianti Classico. Our 2023 selection is from a single grove planted mostly to Moraiolo trees. Its aromatics emphasize herbal notes, while the flavors are woven into a complex web of green almond and dark, Asian spices. The oil finishes fresh and vibrant, with cinnamon notes.

2023 Melograno
Resa 11%, harvested Nov. 6th
Melograno’s Valeria Ronconi always waits until cooler weather arrives in November to begin her olive harvest. Her sole bottling this year is a true field blend with many local varieties, including Moraiolo, Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino and Leccio di Corno. The bouquet is complex, featuring scents of lemon oil, tree bark and artichoke, along with undertones of curry, cumin and white pepper in the finish.

2023 Castello di Volpaia
Resa 12%, Harvested Nov. 3rd
This year's harvest at Volpaia was miniscule, but it did result in a beautiful Frantoio-based bottling. There are artichoke, crushed basil and cumin notes in the bouquet. On the palate, this oil is soft in the approach but quickly builds heat and depth in the finish.

2023 Pruneti Leccino
Resa 12%, harvested Oct. 16th
Made entirely from the scarce Leccino olive, this oil is very aromatic, with lime zest and orange blossom in the bouquet. On the palate, it is delicate, with subtle green almond, savory and thyme notes. It has a saline edge and subtle spice in the finish.

2023 Pruneti Frantoio
Resa 12%, harvested Oct. 20th
Only Frantoio olives went into making this luminescently green Pruneti oil. Its bouquet is brooding, featuring hints of artichoke, tree bark and bitter almond. Flavors are bold and direct, with notes of freshly chopped bitter herbs and a black pepper intensity that carries through in the finish.

Eastern & Western Tuscany

2023 Franci “Villa Magra Grand Cru”
Resa 11%, harvested Oct. 20-30
Franci’s Grand Cru is, for many aficionados, the Holy Grail of Tuscan olive oil. The highly gifted Giorgio Franci carefully constructs the blend from all the year’s pressings, in an ongoing quest for complexity, finesse and balance. This year’s selection is intense in the nose, with effusive aromas of artichoke, thistle and freshly cut hay. Flavors on the palate are big, round and lush. 100% Frantoio from higher-elevation groves, this oil is broad and mouth-filling on the palate, with Asian spice and moderate heat in the finish. 

2023 Ságona “Santa Lucia”
Resa 11%, harvested Nov. 1-4
From its perch in the Pratomagno Mountains, Ságona always manages to make one of the year's best oils. The estate's oliveto near the small church of Santa Lucia produced this blend of 80% Moraiolo, 15% Leccino & 5% Frantoio. This year, Daniele Corrotti was focused on developing the aromatics in his oil. To do this, he chose a shorter, more delicate milling of the olives. His Santa Lucia oil has notes of chicory, cardoon and Asian spice box in the bouquet, while it is relatively light and ethereal on the palate. But don’t be deceived; the classic Tuscan arugula-like bitterness and heat is sure to be found in the finish.

2023 Fonte di Foiano “Toscana”
Resa 13%, harvested Oct. 15-17
This classic Tuscan field blend benefits from olives harvested from ancient trees (up to 1000 years old!) that survived the January 1985 freeze that killed a great many trees in other parts of Tuscany. The olives are largely Frantoio and Morellino, co-milled with 20% Leccino olives. This oil has a vibrant, green bouquet of freshly chopped herbs and chicory. Fruity and generous on the palate, it boasts a green edge and just the right amount of heat in the finish.

2023 Fonte di Foiano “1979”
Resa 12%, harvested Oct. 10-15
When Michaele di Gaetano bought the Fonte di Foiano estate in 1979, the first trees he planted were Leccio di Corno, a local variety known for its relatively small, green olives. His “1979” oil is a tribute to his love of this variety. In the nose, this oil is deep and intense with notes of green tomato leaf, sage and oregano. On the palate, the flavors are bold and complex, with building bitterness in the finish.

2023 Vetrice
Resa 14%, harvested Oct. 21-30
Vetrice is well-known to RWC clients, as we’ve been importing this superb Rufina oil since 1996. It’s a high-elevation oliveto that’s mostly planted to Frantoio trees. In 2023, the amount of fruit harvested was far below normal. With a majority of Frantoio in the blend, there are notes of thyme, green bean and artichoke that figure prominently on both the nose and palate. The finish has a pleasing, classic pepperiness along with hints of Asian spice.