Thank you to Mandranova for sending us their Nocellara EVOO.
| Producer | Mandranova |
| Crop Year | 2019/2020 |
| Cultivar | Nocellara del Belice 100% |
| Region | Sicily (Agrigento) |
| Harvesting Method | Handpicking, with mechanical facilitators |
| Extraction Method | Continuous – two phases |
| Tasted on | June 2020 |
Nocellara by Mandranova is the kind of EVOO which really tells us a story about its territory, making us fall in love with it in the journey – we are talking of Sicily and its hot summers, wonderful coasts and super tasty food and wine. Nocellara’s intense green colour reminds us of the beauty of Sicily’s nature reserves which plunge directly into the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean sea, making us want to immerse ourselves in the organoleptic discovery of this EVO oil. In both the olfactory and tasting analysis, we discovered an EVOO rich in green vegetable aromas enriched by tomatoes hints and delicate floral notes, with aromatic notes of Mediterranean herbs – a true, diverse representation of the flavours of the Sicilian terroir. The balanced feelings of medium-high bitterness and pungency help us in the olive oil-food pairing key task; how about a plate of cuttlefish ink spaghetti with shrimps, cherry tomatoes and burrata, all served with a hint of lemon zest on top?
Also read our review of “Cerasuola” and “Giarraffa” Mandranova.
Appearance & Visual Analysis
Nocellara EVOO is of an intense avocado green color, enriched by light yellow highlights.
Scents & Olfactory analysis
Green Tomato Tomato Leaf Green Almond Grass Elderberry Broom Lime & Lemon Sage Mint
In the olfactory analysis, Nocellara EVOO shows great intensity, especially in regards to green vegetable tones: green tomato fruit and leaf, green almond and cut grass. Those perfumes are softened up and enriched by a floral bouquet aroma of broom, elderberry and hawthorn, and light fruity notes of yellow lemon. We can also perceive aromas of Mediterranean pot herbs such as sage and mint, and a delicate spiciness of nutmeg.
Tasting: Aromas & Flavours
Pungency
Bitterness
Red Tomato Green Tomato Green Almond Walnut Husk Artichoke Rocket 
Thyme Rosemary
On the palate, the green soul of Nocellara EVOO is the predominant note of the taste, with only a hint of red tomato aroma mixing up with tones of green tomatoes; in the blend, we can then find hints of green almonds, walnut husk, artichoke, rocket, and Mediterranean pot herbs such as thyme and rosemary, among all.
The bitterness of Nocellara is followed by a feeling of pungency of the same intensity, particularly felt in the throat, which prolongs the permanence of Nocellara’s aromas in the aftertaste.
We love it with…
Learn how to pair food and EVOO in our article: Olive Oil Pairings.
Nocellara EVOO has three main characteristics: a green vegetable soul, its delicate floral aromas and intense bitterness and pungency; everything considered, we can so recommend Nocellara to go with different kinds of dishes, vegetables, meat, and fish.
As for appetizers, we would pair Nocellara to meat tartare or fresh marinated fish (anchovies, mackerel, salmon, swordfish) – the olive oil will add a vegetable tone to the tomato aromas of the food, and in doing so it will enrich the taste of your preparations, counterbalancing the sweetness of the meat and fish.
Nocellara’s important bitterness and pungency go delightfully with fish pasta, especially with fresh egg pasta, with or without some fresh cherry tomato sauce; you can also try it with fish soups of stewed molluscs, especially mussels (in guazzetto). Coming to second courses, you can pair Nocellara to tuna cut steak, swordfish, mackerel, anchovies and cod, grilled or baked.
Not only fish, but also fresh cheeses (ricotta, caciotta, stracchino) and white meat! Try Nocellara on chicken (Caesar salad, grilled breast chicken or Chinese dumplings), or on pork tacos, meatballs or pork roast – the green aromas of Nocellara will boost the taste of the dish, and the light pungency will help with the cleanness of the mouth at every taste.
Nocellara is also nice paired to mixed salads: cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, olives and a generous amount of EVO Nocellara to finish, to improve the taste of the salad, enhancing the flavour of every single ingredient. You can also add legumes or fruit (e.g. orange) to the mix!
Bruschetta: Caprese (fresh tomatoes and mozzarella), grilled vegetables and feta, bacon and cheese, salmon and stracchino, or even pulled pork.
We paired Nocellara EVOO to cuttlefish ink spaghetti with prawns, cherry tomatoes and burrata, all served with lemon zest and Nocellara – a crudo, of course! – on top; the EVOO adds to the dish pleasant vegetable tones (which counterbalance the sweetness of the pasta, fish and tomatoes), as well as its pungency and bitterness, to clean up the palate and prepare it every time for the next bite.
Az. Agricola Mandranova
“On a hill, a few miles from the sea, there is a green oasis where a selection of native young olive trees grows in our olive grove, as well as some which are several hundred years old. All are individually irrigated. Here we produce extra-virgin olive oil, almonds and conserves that are expressions of our land, our sun, our Sicily.”
Mandranova is located in Palma di Montechiaro, in Agrigento province, a territory rich in natural diversity and historical and gastronomic culture.
The Mandranova farm was established in the second half of the 20th century, and today its products are internationally known for their high quality, which also allowed them to win numerous prizes throughout the years.
Az. Agricola Mandranova
92020 Palma di Montechiaro (AG)
Coordinate GPS
200737°09′55.12″ N – 13°48′23.79″
Sicily – Italy
Mandranova website
Terroir & Region
Sicily
Sicily is one of the two main Italian islands, a land where every province, city and corner is unique. This extraordinary heterogeneity is also recognisable in the gastronomic products (i.e. wines, tomatoes, citrus, eggplants and many delicious recipes) which make the island famous all over the world. In Sicily there are 6 EVO Oil PDOs: Valli Trapanesi, Valle del Belice, Val Demone, Val di Mazara, Monti Iblei, Monte Etna. It asl has one PGI: Sicily.
Also read other regions.
Cultivar / Olive Variety
Nocellara del Belice
Nocellara del Belice is an autochthonous Sicilian cultivar known for its EVO oils but also for table consumption of its olives (Nocellara del Belice olives are also a DOP product). Nocellara EVOOs have medium intensity and are rich in vegetal notes of flavour (almonds, green tomatoes and artichoke) and aromatic tones.
Also read other cultivars.