In the south of the Ardèche, the olive harvest has just begun at Domaine La Magnanerie. It is the busiest time of year on the Martin family's organic estate, with the team at work in the groves and at the mill, turning this season's olives into new oil. As the first olives come in, here is a look at the estate, why it picks so early, and how its oils go from tree to bottle.
A Family Estate Near the Gorges de l'Ardèche
The Martin family has farmed this land near Orgnac-l'Aven, close to the Gorges de l'Ardèche, for five generations. The estate's name recalls where it all began: La Magnanerie refers to a building where silkworms were raised, and raising silkworms is how the family's ancestors started out on this land.
Today the groves cover 24 hectares (about 59 acres) on two very different soils. North of the mill, the ground is white Urgonian limestone, very stony and full of fossils. To the south, it gives way to deep red clay scattered with flint. The orchard is not irrigated, and the climate of the Cévennes foothills, with its sharp contrasts, shapes every season. Around ten olive varieties grow here: French ones such as Aglandau, Bouteillan, Picholine, and Callian, alongside Mediterranean varieties such as Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccio del Corno, and Nocellara.
Farming is certified organic, and the family goes further: biodynamic compost, permanent ground cover between the trees, no insecticides, and close attention to the phases of the moon for pruning, harvesting, and bottling.
Why La Magnanerie Harvests Early
La Magnanerie makes only green fruity olive oils, which means picking early, while the olives are still green. The growers choose the date of each harvest themselves, and the olives are picked by hand or with electric combs, with nets spread out to catch the fruit.
The harvest does not happen all at once. Each oil has its own moment, and here is how last season unfolded, according to the estate:
- Early October: Bouteillan olives for Apogée, from the estate's first October pickings, around the lunar apogee, when the moon is farthest from the Earth.
- First half of October: Aglandau, Bouteillan, and Picholine for Sauvage.
- Second half of October: Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccio del Corno for Rosetta, and Nocellara for Hypnotik.
- Late October: Rougette, Picholine, and Callian for Vert Cévennes.
- Mid-November: the rare Leccio del Corno for Cosmos.
From Grove to Mill Without Delay
La Magnanerie mills its olives in its own modern mill, right on the estate. The olives are processed as soon as they are picked, with no storage in between. They are stripped of their leaves and washed, then crushed whole, pits included. The paste is cooled quickly through a heat exchanger and kneaded only briefly, to protect its most delicate aromas. A centrifugal decanter then separates the oil from the solids, a vertical separator removes the last traces of water, and the oil is filtered so that it stays stable over time.
The same family grows the trees, runs the mill, and bottles the oil. The back label of each bottle gives the harvest date, so you always know which season your oil comes from.
Six Organic Oils, One Estate
Clipperton carries all six of La Magnanerie's organic extra virgin olive oils, each in a 500 ml (16.9 fl. oz.) glass bottle with a pourer. Three are blends: Vert Cévennes, balanced and vegetal, an easy everyday oil; Rosetta, a Tuscan-inspired blend with a generous mouthfeel; and Sauvage, intensely fruity with bold green notes, named the best blend in the world at the Flos Olei competition in 2019. Three are single-variety oils: Apogée, vibrant green and expressive; Hypnotik, intense and assertive, with a coppery hue; and Cosmos, the estate's flagship oil, twice named the best organic oil in the world at Flos Olei, in 2022 and 2023.
Getting the Most from Each Bottle
To enjoy their full character, use these oils raw, as a finishing touch. Pour Sauvage over warm country bread with a pinch of sea salt, drizzle Apogée over grilled white fish, or finish a bowl of our Tuscan white bean soup with Rosetta. Our warm chickpea salad is another easy way to let an oil like Sauvage shine.
The estate's advice on storage is simple: once opened, a bottle keeps for two months at room temperature. Do not put it in the refrigerator, or the oil will solidify. If a bottle solidifies in the cold of winter, two or three days in a heated room will restore its fluidity.
While the new season's oil takes shape in the Ardèche, explore the full range in our La Magnanerie collection.
