CHIAROSCURO is the De Robertis family's tribute to one of the world's most important cultivars: the Coratina olive. On our family estate just outside the medieval town of Trani, the trees stand tall and majestic just above sea level, giving rise to a powerful extra virgin olive oil, aromatic and extremely palatable.
Vibrant green fruit glistening in the Autumn sun marks the annual harvest on the De Robertis Estate. The harvest begins as our olives are at their early stage of ripening and perfect for picking. Although an early harvest yields less volume of oil, we prefer the higher quality and concentration of polyphenols and lower acidity found in these less-than fully ripe olives.
Once picked and hand-sorted, our olives are immediately transported to a nearby mill for processing. De Robertis olives are milled within 3 to 6 hours of the actual harvest, ensuring the absolute best quality extraction while limiting exposure to environmental pollutants. Our extra virgin olive oil is extracted by centrifugation in a state-of-the-art facility with rigorous temperature and hygiene controls.
The milling of De Robertis olive oil is performed at a local fully certified mill that adheres to the strict EU rules regarding hygiene, processing, storage and olive origin. Our team personally oversees each phase of the process right through to the final bottling. This allows us to guarantee the quality, purity and traceability of each bottle of De Robertis Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
To achieve the award-winning flavor of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, we employ a modern, cold extraction process within hours of harvest. The process uses minimal yet highly efficient technology, resulting in the use of far less water, no additional heat and absolutely no solvents. During malaxation (the action of slowly churning milled olives), there is minimal exposure to oxygen during what is the longest phase of oil production. This oxygen exposure is precisely calibrated to guarantee optimal flavor.
Throughout the milling process, attention is paid to the smallest detail. The fruit is crushed with their pits to harness the subtle flavours found at the inner core of the pit. This helps produce the unique flavour that our extra virgin olive oil has become famous for. Our olives are cleaned without water to preserve their rich and complex flavour. Throughout the entire process, temperatures are strictly maintained at 20° to 24° C, with the focus always on quality rather than yield.
Technical Specs:
Olive area of origin: De Robertis Estate, Trani, Puglia (Apulia) Italy
Milling location: Corato (offsite mill)
Olive variety: 100% Coratina
Color: Intense Green
Harvesting Method: Mechanical and manual
Harvest Date: Mid October – Early November
Shelf life: 18 months from bottling
Note: Our third-party laboratory evaluations available upon request
