| Producer | Tenuta di San Donato |
| Crop Year | 2020/2021 |
| Cultivar | Leccino, Pendolino |
| Region | Toscana (Calenzano) |
| Harvesting Method | Manual & Mechanical |
| Extraction Method | Continuous – Cold Extracted |
| Tasted on | May 2021 |
Thank you to Tenuta S. Donato for sending us their Leccino & Pendolino EVOO.
EVOO – Food pairing advice
Fish Pizza Vegetables
EVO oil of Tenuta San Donato, based on Leccino and Pendolino cultivars, is a delicate extra virgin olive oil, very clean on the palate. Its aromas are perceived on the olfactory analysis delicate and elegant, and then let themselves be discovered by the gustatory analysis, which is satisfying and with its own identity. It is an EVO oil of medium intensity which, with its balanced bitter and pungent sensations, combines the tasting especially with fish and vegetable recipes. Tenuta San Donato (after also tasting their monocultivar Frantoio) confirms itself as a beautiful flag of Tuscan olive growing, attentive to quality and tradition, capable of producing EVO oils, with typical Tuscan cultivars, worthy to be discovered.
Also read our review of Moraiolo by Tenuta S. Donato.
Appearance & Visual Analysis
Pendolino and Leccino EVO oil by Tenuta S. Donato has a bright lime green color.
Scents & Olfactory analysis
Lettuce Thistle Spinach Chard Olives Vanilla Almonds Sage
In Pendolino and Leccino EVO oil the delicate vegetable aromas typical of its cultivars prevail: thistle, chard, lettuce, fresh spinach, green olive and almond. Followed by a delicate sensation of sage and a light vanilla that make up the olfactory panorama diversified.
Tasting: Aromas & Flavours
Pungency
Bitterness
Green Almond Rosemary Green Pepper Asparagus Thistle Lettuce Olives Rocket
On the tasting analysis San Donato EVO oil has an average intensity of its aromas. The bitter and pungent sensations are also of medium intensity and harmonic. We find the vegetal aromas prevail, which become even more extensive and complex than the olfactory analysis. Flavour of green pepper, asparagus, thistle, lettuce, rocket, olive and almond are perceived. On its closure a delicate scent of rosemary is also recognizable.
We love it with…
Learn how to pair food and EVOO with our BEA Method.
The extra virgin olive oil Pendolino and Leccino of Tenuta S. Donato is an EVO oil with delicate and clean aromas. It manages to give abundant vegetable sensations to recipes. For this reason we suggest combining it with fish or vegetable appetizers, fresh and medium-aged cheeses, mixed summer salads, pasta or risotto with fish and grilled fish. Also excellent with pizzas with vegetables and focaccia.
Tenuta di San Donato
Tenuta di San Donato is located in a panoramic position on the homonymous hills of Calenzano, about 14 km from Florence and 6 from Prato, right between the Calvana Mountains and Monte Morello. The farm covers an area of about 450 hectares, of which about 50 are dedicated to olive groves, and 3.2 are covered by vineyards.
Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino, the traditional Tuscan cultivars, are harvested manually and divided in small boxes on the base of the different varieties’ maturation levels; the fruits are then cold pressed within 8 hours from harvesting to ensure superior quality of the final product.
The company’s mill works at a continuous cycle, at a controlled extraction temperature which is kept below 26°. The oil is filtered and stored in 5-quintal stainless steel drums.
The olive oil production of the estate has always been of high quality, so much that it was first awarded back at the 1906 Milan International Fair.
Tenuta di San Donato
Viale dei Cipressi,
650041 Calenzano (FI) Italia
(+39) 055/8879457
info@tenutasandonato.it
Tenuta di San Donato website
Terroir & Region
Tuscany
Throughout history, Tuscany’s world-renewed hills have inspired painters, travellers and poets. Today these landscapes are widely cultivated with vineyards and olive groves, which fits so perfectly harmonic in the scene that it seems like they were painted in the scenery. Almost 119 olive varieties can be found in Tuscany.
Discover other regions.
Cultivar / Olive Variety
Leccino, Pendolino
Leccino, together with Frantoio and Moraiolo, is one of the main Italian cultivars and can be mainly found in central and southern Italian regions. During veraison the polyphenols content is quite important, thus conferring equilibrated bitterness and pungency notes to Leccino’s EVO oils.
The Pendolino variety is very popular in Italy: today it is cultivated throughout the whole peninsula, also thanks to its role as pollinator. Its olive trees are characterized by a high yield in the production of olive oil and by a medium ripening period. Pendolino gives its olive oil delicate hints of almond, and slight bitterness and pungency sensations.
Discover more.