Maes & Sons OMG Extra Virgin Olive Oil began as a kind of family project. Kelseyville physician Gary Maes planted the grove with his kids and for a few years handed out bottles of the oil as gifts.
Friends of the doctor should consider themselves fortunate.
It’s an opulent oil that swells over your senses, lush and buttery. A brush of sweet green grass and delicate fruit introduces itself from the rich duvet — a breezy welcome that leaves you unprepared for the wanton tumble to follow.
A horde of black peppercorns, cracked coarsely and lurking underneath the smooth, buttery savor swarms forward, pricking and darting at will. The rollicking spice is tempered slightly, however, by a mellow, earthy rein and hints of weathered wood.
The result is an unexpectedly structured finish — long and luxurious yet rippled with bold pepper and bittersweet grass.
It’s a wonderful and lively experience.
“I wish I could tell you how we did that,” Maes said with a laugh. “I think its just in the nature of the olives.”
The family grows five Tuscan varietals, as well as Coratina, a favorite of Puglia — and perhaps responsible for the wonderful depth of spice in the OMG. Maes prefers to allow the olives to remain on the tree well into the ripening period. He then simply harvests and tosses them all together.
Four years ago the trees began to produce just enough to bottle for friends and family.
“We enjoy it,” Maes said. “We use it at home. It’s great for dipping bread.”
For the first time this year they pressed enough to sell locally, working with Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill (“they’ve been very helpful,” Maes pointed out) and stocking shelves at Wildhurst Vineyards’ tasting room in Kelseyville.
Maes’ grandchildren create the label art. In fact, the name OMG comes from the first two grandchildren, Omar and Garrison — with the M for Maes in the middle.
“It had been Christmas gifts,” the doctor said of his hobby. “Every year the crop has gotten better.”
Now the rest of us can enjoy the same fortune as his friends and family.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
