Hojiblanca is Andalusia's second olive after Picual and usually ends up in blends. On its own, from an early harvest, it is one of the most aromatic oils in Spain: sweet apple and green banana up front, then artichoke, tomato, fennel and a cool mint note, with a bitterness that is present but polite and a peppery finish. Oro Bailén's is the reference version.
Sweet apple and green banana on the nose, followed by artichoke, tomato, fennel and peppermint. Rounder on the palate than the Picual, with a slight bitterness and a clean, peppery finish. The most herbal of the four Oro Bailén monovarietals.
| Cultivar | 100% Hojiblanca |
|---|---|
| Harvest | October 2025, early |
| Polyphenols | 473 mg/kg (producer lab report, 2025/26) |
| Free acidity | 0.10% |
| Extraction | Cold, within hours of picking |
| Estate | Los Juncales & La Casa del Agua, Villanueva de la Reina |
Hojiblanca — "white leaf", for the pale underside of its leaves — is native to the Córdoba–Málaga border but grows across Andalusia. Oro Bailén's block sits in the Sierra Morena foothills above Villanueva de la Reina.
All Andalusian oils in the library →What has been measured on this oil, and who measured it
At 473 mg/kg this oil is above the 250 mg/kg threshold Regulation 432/2012 sets for hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, as reported by the producer lab report, 2025/26.
If the Picual is the estate's statement oil and the Arbequina the gentle one, the Hojiblanca is the one we would put on the table every day. Aromatic and green without being aggressive, enough bitterness to feel serious, and a pepper that lands softly. Excellent on grilled fish and on anything with fennel or artichoke.