Harvested mid November to early December 2010, the flagship of our KATZ brand and three-time gold medal winner at the L.A County Fair Olive Oils of the World Competition, Chef's Pick California Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a carefully crafted blend that we produce each year from olives grown on our organic and sustainable farmed groves in the Suisun Valley" just to the east of Napa. This valley with loamy and sandy soils is ideal for growing our Italian olive varietals.
Katz Chef's Pick is made from a blend of these organic olive varieties:
Frantoio, Leccino, Maurino, and Allegra - 80% of the blend, these classic Tuscan cultivars produce the rustic flavors of grassiness and fruitiness in the nose coupled with the requisite pungency in the finish.
Taggiasca and Casaliva - 20% of the blend, these varieties native to the Liguria and Lombardy regions of Italy, respectively, are grown in the Suisun Valley. They are noted for their soft and persistent fruitiness with sweet overtones producing a lush mouth feel.
This year's oil has a very low 0.13 free fatty acid, well below the international threshold and a sign of the oil's very high quality. It comes from handpicked olives and unfiltered oil that has its usual rustic charm with grassy, floral overtones, rich fruitiness and a lush mouth feel, with good balance and a nice pungency in the finish. It enhances a wide array of foods and is the perfect condiment quality oil for the professional and home cook.