One of six groves in our care
Osteria.
Left behind for nearly thirty years. In 2026, its fourth harvest.
262 Moraiolo trees on a west facing hillside beneath a thirteenth century church, with Brunelleschi's dome on the horizon. In our care, tree by tree, since 2020.
The restoration
What thirty years did to Osteria.
Osteria was left to itself for nearly thirty years. Brush closed in around the trunks, and the trees grew dense and airless, with no one to prune them or bring in their fruit.
In 2020, Andrea Pagliai, master grower of the groves in our care, and Fil Bucchino took on the grove. They cleared it, then opened each tree to air and light, one at a time. Then they waited. In 2023 Osteria gave its first oil in nearly three decades. 2024 brought its second harvest, 2025 its third and 2026 its fourth.
Why we waited three years for the first oil.
We could have harvested sooner. We held the first harvest back so the trees could regain their strength, and the first oil would come from trees ready to carry it.
262 trees, one variety.
Osteria is planted entirely with Moraiolo, one of the most demanding Tuscan varieties to work with, and one of the most rewarding when the season gives it what it needs.
What we found under the brush.
Only once the clearing began did we discover the grove had been through a fire. The trees had survived it on their own. Our work was to give that resilience room to return.
The grove.
- Ruballa, above Florence
- 3.7 acres
- 220 metres
- West facing
- 262 trees
- Moraiolo
- In our care since 2020
- Back to harvest in 2023
The 2025 harvest
Osteria's third harvest.
The season
Picked on October 22 and 23, under cool, overcast skies. Less fruit on the trees than the year before, yet nearly double the yield.
Tasting
Green almond, artichoke, wild herbs and tomato leaf, then fresh bitter greens and a steady black pepper finish that holds its length. A structured oil.
Pairing
Made for food with weight. Pour it over a sliced bistecca.
The record, 2025
100% Moraiolo
- Fruitiness
- 7.2/10
- Bitterness
- 6.1/10
- Pepperiness
- 6.8/10
- Polyphenols
- 556 mg/kg
- Free fatty acids
- 0.22%
- Peroxides
- 6.4 meq O₂/kg
- Monounsaturated fatty acids
- above 75%
- Pesticide residues
- not detected
Extracted within hours of harvest, then stored and tested on its own, never blended with another grove.
Fil's full tasting notes, pairings and the season as it happened are in My Grove.
Belong to a grove.
Every Guardian is connected to a real tree in one of our restored groves. Your tree is assigned after you join, wherever one is available, and you'll see exactly where it stands: its grove, its number, its coordinates. Each harvest, two bottles of that grove's oil are yours.
Guard a tree by December 31 for this year's harvest.
