The flagship Picual of a family mill in Jaén that picks in early October, while the fruit is still green, and cold-extracts within hours. Tomato leaf, cut grass and green almond on the nose, a clean bitterness and a peppery finish that builds slowly rather than attacking — Picual with all its character and none of the harshness the cultivar is often blamed for.
Green olive, tomato plant and fresh herbs on the nose, with green almond and a hint of apple. Smooth, almost buttery entry, then a clear bitterness on the tongue and a peppery pungency that arrives late and stays for a good minute. Intensely green for a "medium" oil; the balance is what makes it approachable.
The facts
Cultivar
100% Picual
Harvest
October 2025, early (green fruit)
Polyphenols
470 mg/kg (producer lab report, 2025/26)
Free acidity
0.11%
Oleic acid
≈ 77% (monounsaturated)
Extraction
Cold, within hours of picking
Estate
Los Juncales & La Casa del Agua, Villanueva de la Reina
Awards
99/100 · Flos Olei 2026World's best EVOO · EVOOLEUM 2022Gold · NYIOOCPlatinum · London IOOCStar · Great Taste 2025
Where it's from
Region map · Jaén
Villanueva de la Reina sits on the Guadalquivir plain in the province of Jaén, the most densely planted olive landscape in the world. Oro Bailén picks weeks before most of its neighbours, which costs yield and buys the green, high-polyphenol style.
Tomato saladGrilled vegetablesBread and saltWhite fishGazpacho
Reviews
1 expert
P
Tasting panel · bestoliveoils.euPanel note · September 2026
Panel pick★★★★★Rated 4.7 out of 5
Picual is the workhorse olive of Jaén and most of it ends up as anonymous supermarket oil. This is the other kind. Early picking and fast milling give it the tomato-leaf, cut-grass character the cultivar is loved for, and the bitterness is clean rather than harsh. A finishing oil first: over a tomato salad, grilled vegetables or simply bread with salt. At this price we would not cook with it — the Arbequina from the same house is the one for the pan.
