Aceite Marqués de Griñón

Marquess of Griñón

Marqués de Griñón is a historic Spanish firm closely linked to the family of Carlos Falcó y Fernández de Córdova, 5th Marquess of Griñón, one of the great promoters of the modernization of wine and high-end products related to the Spanish countryside. The heart of the project is located in Dominio de Valdepusa, in Malpica de Tajo, in the province of Toledo, an agricultural property that has belonged to the family since 1292.

Although Marqués de Griñón is especially known for its wines, the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil also constitutes an important part of the house's philosophy. The unique conditions of the ancient Señorío de Valdepusa have favored both vine and olive cultivation for centuries, allowing for the obtainment of products of great aromatic intensity that are closely related to this Castilian territory.

With the aim of producing an authentic estate oil, the family conducted numerous trials using both their own olive groves and others nearby until determining the most suitable varieties and methods of cultivation and production. Subsequently, an oil mill was built on the estate itself, a fundamental decision to be able to directly control the harvest and minimize the time between the picking of the olives and their milling.

From this philosophy are born the Marqués de Griñón EVOOs, headed by Olevm Artis and accompanied by different single-varietals and limited editions. The combination of a property with centuries of history, technical innovation, and direct control of the process allows the house to transfer to its oil the same estate-product philosophy that has historically characterized Dominio de Valdepusa.

Arbequina, Picual, and Cornicabra: three varieties and a precision production process

Marqués de Griñón's oil production revolves primarily around three olive varieties: Arbequina, Picual, and Cornicabra. The diversity between them allows for the creation of both monovarietal oils and blends, achieving very different sensory profiles and taking advantage of the unique characteristics each variety develops under the conditions of Dominio de Valdepusa.

One of their most representative oils is Olevm Artis, a blend crafted from a selection of the best batches of Picual and Arbequina from each harvest. The Arbequina provides delicacy and softer, floral nuances, while the Picual contributes intensity and a more distinct personality. The combination seeks to achieve a balanced, aromatic oil with a velvety texture.

Cornicabra also holds a prominent place in the collection. It is a variety especially linked to Castilla-La Mancha and has a significant historical presence in the province of Toledo. Marqués de Griñón uses it to produce both their Duo Cornicabra monovarietal and a Limited Series. Its oil features long persistence and a characteristic pungency related to its high polyphenol content.

The timing of the harvest is one of the aspects most carefully managed by the mill. According to Marqués de Griñón, for each variety and plot, there is an optimal window of just 8 to 10 days during which the organoleptic properties and the polyphenol level of the fruit are at their peak. Therefore, working with controlled plots and different varieties allows for staggering the harvest and collecting each olive when it reaches the desired conditions.

The location of the mill within the estate also allows for considerably reduced processing times. In the case of Olevm Artis, the selected olives are cold-pressed in less than three hours, helping to preserve the aromatic and gustatory intensity of the fruit. This combination of plot selection, precise harvest timing, and speed in production constitutes one of the pillars of Marqués de Griñón EVOO.

Dominio de Valdepusa: a family estate since 1292

The origin of Marqués de Griñón oils is closely linked to Dominio de Valdepusa, a historic agricultural estate located in Malpica de Tajo, Toledo, which has belonged to the family since 1292. There are, therefore, more than seven centuries of continuous connection to lands where agriculture, landscape, and family history are deeply intertwined.

The ancient Seigniorage of Valdepusa has traditionally shown favorable conditions for the cultivation of both vines and olive trees. The climate and characteristics of this territory allow for the production of fruits with significant aromatic concentration, a circumstance that led the family to study the behavior of different olive groves and varieties in depth before developing their single-estate extra virgin olive oil project.

This concept of the "pago" (single estate) is fundamental to understanding the Marqués de Griñón philosophy. Rather than separating cultivation from subsequent production, the estate is managed as a unit in which each plot and variety can be tracked individually. This allows for determining the precise moment to harvest each fruit and quickly transport it to the mill located within the property itself.

The controlled scale of the olive groves is especially important because it allows each plot to be worked according to its development during the season. The company itself notes that the period of maximum expression of an olive can be very short, so having the olive grove and the mill within the same environment makes it easier to adapt the harvest to the specific conditions of each variety.

Dominio de Valdepusa thus represents much more than the place where the oils are produced. It is a family agricultural territory preserved since the 13th century, where the olive grove shares the spotlight with the vineyards and where Marqués de Griñón has applied a philosophy based on the concept of origin, plot, and integral control. From this bond between land, olive trees, varieties, and the mill, extra virgin olive oils are born, conceived to express the particular characteristics of this historic Toledo landscape.