Estivale apple

Malus domestica

A very good early/mid-season apple from France.

Developed by the Delbard nursery in France in the 1950s, this is an another attempt to improve on Golden Delicious - and a pretty successful one at that. It is very attractive in appearance, with the light yellow / green of Golden Delicious overlaid with lovely red and orange stripes. Estivale has been marketed under a number of names so you might have heard of it as Delbarestivale, Monidel, Dalili, Ambassy or Delcorf Estivale.

Estivale is an early apple variety, grown commercially on a small scale in France and England, and usually available in early to mid September.  Many early apple varieties are related to Worcester Pearmain, so Estivale, with its Golden Delicious parentage, is an interesting contrast.  Whilst still a sharp apple, Estivale is inherently sweeter and we think has a better balance of sweet and sharp than some of the Worcester Pearmain offspring.  Elton Beauty probably comes the closest.

The flavour is fairly typical of a modern early variety, being sweet but with a bit more acid to it than Golden Delicious, and therefore rather more refreshing. There is a hint of strawberry and even pear. The flesh is cream, and quite crisp when fresh.

Its main drawback is that it bruises quite easily, although unlike many early varieties it does not go soft within a couple of days of picking.

In short, this is a pleasant summery apple, and one of the best early apple varieties.

Last updated 10 Jun 2010 by Orange Pippin.

Summary

  • Parentage: Golden Delicious cross
  • Origin: France
  • Introduced: 1950
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 101500

Other qualities

  • RHS Award of Garden Merit 1998

Relationships to other varieties

Parents and other ancestors of this variety:

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments about this variety)

12 Sep 2009 David BurkeGLOUCESTERSHIRE, United Kingdom
Bought Delbard Estivale from M & S yesterday, Rob Simpson, Herefordshire grower. Really nice, better than tasteless French Golden Delicious but still waiting for Coxes !

06 Oct 2007 Lyn OramWEST SUSSEX. UK, United Kingdom
Fruit tree sold by Lidl and incorrectly labeled as Bramley. Apple identified by Wisley gardens as Estivale. The crispest and juiciest apple I have ever tasted. I totally agree with the tasting notes. The only drawback with this variety is that it is a very poor keeper and needs to be eaten when freshly picked.

05 Oct 2007 Charles AdamsWELWYN GARDEN CITY, United Kingdom
Eaten in season it is second only to Cox's Orange Pippen (comparison out of season not yet undertaken. Rather expensive compared with most other preferred apples.

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