Picholine Extra Virgin olive oil

The powerful side of a refined Provençal house

In the heart of the Alpilles, in the beautiful Vallée des Baux-de-Provence, lies Château d’Estoublon. An impressive estate where olive groves, vineyards, gastronomy, architecture and the French art of living come together.

Picholine shows a very different side of Estoublon from, for example, the gentle Salonenque. This is not a restrained olive oil, but a powerful, green and fiery single-varietal oil that is allowed to make its presence clearly felt in a dish.

It is precisely this contrast that makes the Estoublon collection so fascinating: one château, one terroir, yet olive varieties with completely different personalities.

This extra virgin olive oil is made from 100% Picholine. Château d’Estoublon describes the oil as powerful, fiery and peppery: a genuine flavour enhancer.

Its style is intensely green, with pronounced bitterness and a fresh peppery finish. This is an oil for enthusiasts who deliberately look for character and tension.

Despite its power, the oil remains refined. That is exactly where Estoublon excels: combining intensity with the elegance of a great Provençal house.

An olive oil that truly lifts a dish

Picholine is particularly suitable when the olive oil is meant to be clearly noticeable. Try it with grilled or young vegetables, raw and smoked fish, carpaccio, beef tartare, grilled meat and robust salads.

A little lemon works beautifully with its green, peppery profile. Château d’Estoublon even recommends this Picholine with sorbet and ice cream.

This is therefore not a neutral everyday oil, but a gastronomic olive oil with which you deliberately add another layer of flavour to a dish.

Picholine is one of the classic olive varieties of southern France. At Château d’Estoublon it is processed separately so that its individual character remains fully recognisable. The result is a single-varietal oil that beautifully demonstrates how strongly one olive variety can determine the style of an extra virgin olive oil.

Château d’Estoublon is much more than a producer of wine and olive oil. Across its large Provençal estate, olive growing, winemaking, gastronomy, hospitality, architecture and design come together.

The house’s position in the world of French luxury is underlined by its membership of the prestigious Comité Colbert, which brings together leading French maisons in luxury, gastronomy, culture and savoir-faire.

That mentality is also evident in the olive oil. The oil itself must be excellent, but the bottle, packaging and entire experience must reflect the same level of refinement. Estoublon treats olive oil almost as though it were perfume or haute couture.

The modern history of Château d’Estoublon is closely linked to the Schneider and Reboul families. The once-neglected château was restored with enormous ambition and transformed into an exceptional wine and olive-oil estate.

From the beginning, the vision went far beyond farming. Estoublon was meant to become a destination: a place where wine, olive oil, gastronomy, hospitality and style combine to create a complete experience.

In later years even more glamour was added. Today, Estoublon combines serious agriculture and gastronomy with an image more reminiscent of a major French luxury house than a traditional olive farm.

My connection with Château d’Estoublon goes beyond simply selling its olive oils. I got to know the Schneider and Reboul families personally and had the opportunity to experience the estate itself on several occasions.

One of the most memorable moments came after the major renovation of the château. I had the privilege of being the first guest to stay overnight in the renovated château. During that visit there were also representatives from Big Green Egg and journalists from De Telegraaf, including food journalist Felix Wilbrink.

The elegant bottle alone already shows that Estoublon is different. But when you walk across the estate yourself, see the olive groves and its own mill, enter the château and experience the hospitality, you truly understand the house behind the oil.

That personal experience still shapes the way we value this Picholine today. It is not simply a powerful French olive oil, but a product from a château whose people, history and ambitions I have had the pleasure of getting to know personally.

Château d’Estoublon has its own olive mill on the estate. The Picholine olives are processed within 24 hours of harvesting, allowing the house to retain control over one of the most important stages in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Château d’Estoublon also lists a gold award for the Picholine. A fitting confirmation that behind the spectacular presentation of the house there is serious olive-oil quality in the bottle.

Discover more about French olive oil and read in our Olijfolie Academie how fresh olives are transformed into extra virgin olive oil at the mill.