This French extra virgin olive oil comes to us courtesy of Mort Rosenblum, an Associated Press foreign correspondent and the author of Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit. Eric's oil is from the northern part of Provence, a place less frequented by tourists, with a terrain sometimes described as bleak. Prevailing wisdom says harsher terrains make better oils, and Eric's is certainly worth tasting. Like the region it comes from, it might not have as ardent a following as Maussane, but it's just as delicious.

The current pressing from fall 2012 has a great olive tapenade aroma with a grassy brightness. The flavor is olive-y, buttery, with just a bit of very pleasant bitterness. There's a tiny tickle of pepper on the finish.

"Like Catherine Deneuve: silky, subtle, quintessentially French."  Francine Maroukian, Travel & Leisure