On the Italian Riviera, delicacy, not strength, brings an oil acclaim and honor.

Roi is one of the best Ligurian extra virgin olive oils I’ve tried. It’s been made in the mountain town of Badalucco by the Boeri family since 1900, exclusively from the thumbnail-sized Taggiasca olive.

Mellow yet rich in its unfiltered state, the latest harvest from fall 2011, is delicately delicious, flowery and feathery light, perfect for pesto making with sweet basil.

The current vintage has a rich black olive tapenade aroma with bright notes of citrus. The flavor starts buttery, builds to a very mild pepper, then fades slowly, smoothly, leaving your tongue a little tingly.

This oil is the favorite of many of our crew. I regularly recommend it to folks who are beginning their olive oil education. At home, I love to pour Roi on freshly baked whole fish (half an hour at 350 degrees for a fish that weighs a pound).