Olio nuovo (“new oil” in Italian) is the olive oil bottled and released immediately after the annual harvest, before the oil begins to mellow.
With a bright, lean, freshness, olio nuovo can range from robust to more mellow in flavor. The strongest are often described jokingly as “two-cough” selections, with a peppery bite that is highly prized.
Sonoma County’s olive harvest kicked off early this year, with the first of the season’s olives heading to the mill in early October. Harvest typically continues through early December. Two primary mills, McEvoy Ranch and Olivino, process olives for many of the county’s local farms, and there are also public mills in Sebastopol, Glen Ellen, Sonoma and Healdsburg. With a number of places to taste local olive oil, here are eight picks for the season.
Baker Lane Estate
Stephen Singer’s 2024 Occidental Blend is not labeled “olio nuovo” but will be available soon enough after pressing that it is a de facto nuovo, with vivid flavors of artichoke, freshly mown hay and green apple. Online sales only. singer.wine
DaVero
The benchmark estate olio nuovo is sassy and elegant, with complex bitter and pepper flavors. 766 Westside Road, Healdsburg. 707-431-8000, davero.com
Figone Olive Co.
At their small shop on the plaza in the town of Sonoma, Figone releases an olio nuovo shortly after milling their blend of Spanish and Italian varieties. 483 First St. W., Sonoma. 707-2829092, figoneoliveoil.com
Gold Ridge Organic Farms
Grower Brooke Hazen offers four olio nuovos: the classic Tuscan blend plus Picholine, Minerva and Arbequina single-variety oils. Hazen picks a bit later in the season, producing oils with a voluptuous, buttery texture. 3387 Canfield Road, Sebastopol. 707-823-3110, goldridgeorganicfarms.com
McEvoy Ranch
This olio nuovo evokes the subtle flavors of winter greens — think cardoons, chicories and dandelions — with a trail of peppery heat, a signature quality of the estate’s seven Tuscan cultivars. 5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma. 707-778-2307, mcevoyranch.com
Olivino
The olio nuovo is a blend of five Tuscan cultivars from a 2,500-tree orchard that straddles the border of Sonoma and Mendocino counties and is milled with a traditional grinding stone and gravity press. 14160 Mountain House Road, Hopland. 707-7441114, olivino.com
Preston Farm & Winery
Chaste Maiden Early Release Organic Olive Oil is a blend of 10 Italian and Spanish cultivars. Even in its youth, it is a delicate oil, with less of the peppery heat that defines many other oils. 9282 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. 707433-3372, prestonfarmandwinery.com
The Olive Press
The olio nuovo is made from the Spanish cultivar Arbequina, which hints of freshly mown grass, artichoke, apple and banana. 24724 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. 707-939-8900, theolivepress.com