PRODUCER
Badia a Coltibuono
ITALY
A MOMENT IN HISTORY
Founded in 1979, De Medici imported Badia a Coltibuono, the first Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil marketed nationally in the U.S.A.
Those years are just a moment in the history of an estate whose existence is measured in eras, not years. Phoenician and Greek colonists introduced the olive tree to the Italian peninsula. There is archeologic evidence on the site that the Etruscans cultivated both grapes and olives here in pre- Roman times (about 2500 B.C.E.).
In 1051 the feudal lords who had governed the land for 400 years invited an order of Benedictine monks to found an abbey here. They dedicated themselves to tending the land, raising vines and groves to produce wine and oil. They continued their agricultural and spiritual labors here until the Napoleonic wars, when in 1810, church lands were seized, secularized and auctioned off.
SIX GENERATIONS
In 1846 Michele Giuntini acquired the property. In the late 1950’s, his descendent, Piero Stucchi Prinetti, took charge of the property. He began to bottle the best vintages of the estate’s Chianti Classico Riserva, selling them on the domestic and international markets. He was the first to realize the potential of another traditional product of the region: extra virgin olive oil. He lavished the same care on his groves, oil production and its marketing as he did the estate’s wines. Today his commitment to the quality wines and oils of the estate is carried on by his and Lorenza dé Medici’s children; Emanuela, Paolo and Roberto.
MADE IN TUSCANY
Badia a Coltibuono is widely considered by chefs, food critics, consumers and media as the benchmark extra virgin olive oil, by which all others are judged.
AWARD-WINNING ALBERETO EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
a portion of badia a coltibuono’s olive grove at podere albereto, overlooking the arno river valley, is dedicated to the production of this organic oil. Pressed immediately after harvest to achieve the full expression of this rare oil’s aroma and flavor. Production is limited.
