Montsant:

The mountain that gives character to our EVOO

The Serra de Montsant, in the heart of the Priorat region, belongs to the second category. It is a mountain range of crags, ravines, and silence, declared a natural park to preserve a fragile balance: that of nature in its purest form coexisting with the crops that have shaped these slopes for centuries. Among them, the olive tree.

This is the environment where the HOSTALETS 1898 olive grove is born and grows. Not as a mere footnote in the landscape, but as part of its very history. Each tree sinks its roots into stony, shallow soils, rich in minerals and history. This combination of hardship and beauty is what ultimately transforms into the character of every drop of our extra virgin olive oil.

A natural park, an island of biodiversity

The Serra de Montsant Natural Park stretches across a rugged, almost walled landscape, where the rock dictates the rhythm of the terrain. Between limestone cliffs, gorges, and ravines, a mosaic of Mediterranean forests, scrubland, traditional crops, and dry-stone walls unfolds, creating a true island of biodiversity.

In this environment, holm oaks, pines, rosemary, thyme, junipers, rock-dwelling plants clinging to the rocks, birds of prey, small mammals, reptiles, and a vast array of pollinating insects coexist. It is a living, balanced landscape where every element plays a role.

Soils, climate and nutrients

Montsant is a demanding region. The soils are stony, shallow, with abundant rock and excellent natural drainage. To thrive, the olive tree is forced to send its roots deep, grow slowly, and adapt. Maximum yield is not the goal; the land's limitations are accepted.

This geology is complemented by an inland Mediterranean climate: hot summers, cold winters, and a significant temperature difference between day and night. These temperature variations allow the fruit to ripen slowly, accumulating aromas, polyphenols, and healthy fatty acids without losing freshness or balance.

The apparent austerity of Montsant is thus slowly transformed into finesse, depth and serenity in the EVOO.

Dryland olive groves and dry stone walls: the value of what remains

On the slopes and valleys surrounding the mountains, olive trees are cultivated using dry farming methods, respecting the natural rhythms of rain and soil. The trees are planted on terraces supported by dry stone walls, true works of rural craftsmanship that have withstood generations.

In this context, the olive tree ceases to be a mere crop and becomes the cornerstone of a cultural and ecological landscape. By tending these terraces, we also tend to the memory of the land and provide a home for countless other forms of life. Every bottle of extra virgin olive oil that comes from here carries a piece of that silent legacy: the sum of stone, roots, time, and respect.

Montsant in the philosophy of HOSTALETS 1898

For us, talking about the Serra de Montsant Natural Park is talking about the essence of what we do: an Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is born in a protected environment, that respects biodiversity and that is made with the calm of someone who knows that haste is not part of this landscape.

Each harvest is a new interpretation of the mountain:
It all depends on the weather that year, the response of the trees, and how the fruit has concentrated aromas, nutrients, and nuances. Our job is to listen to that language and translate it, with the greatest possible fidelity, into the bottle.

Thus, when a HOSTALETS 1898 EVOO arrives at the table, it is not just a product that arrives: a fragment of Montsant arrives.
A protected landscape arrives, a dryland olive grove, ancient roots and a way of understanding the land based on respect, precision and the value of what remains.