Ossetra, Classic
Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
Lombardy, Italy·Italy·Premium
The connoisseur's default. Medium grey-amber beads with a firm, satisfying pop and a layered finish that moves from briny through hazelnut to a clean close. The chef's all-purpose choice — complex enough to fascinate, food-friendly enough for a full table.
Salinity3Butteriness3Nuttiness4Umami4Complexity4
Pop
firm
Finish
Nutty
Texture
firm
Grain
medium
Colour
dark grey
Blini service
Recommended
Firm beads keep their structure on a warm blini. The hazelnut character harmonizes with buckwheat flour. Keep crème fraîche sparse — a dab, not a dollop.
Pairings
- Champagne
- Blanc de blancs Champagne, Roederer Cristal
- Wine
- White Burgundy, Puligny-Montrachet
- Spirits
- Frozen Stolichnaya Elit, Chilled vodka
Production
- Source
- farmed
- Producer
- Agroittica Lombarda / Calvisius (Calvisano, Italy)
- Processing
- malossol
- Grade
- classic
Legal & sourcing
⚑ Regulatory watch
Species proposed for US ESA endangered listing (USFWS, May 2022). If finalized, the rule would apply 'wherever found' and could halt US import, export, and interstate commerce of ALL caviar of this species — including sustainably farmed product. As of mid-2025 no final rule has been published; farmed product remains fully legal to sell in the US today. Countervailing legislation (H.R. 4033 / S.2870, 'Sturgeon Conservation and Sustainability Act of 2025') would exempt farm-raised captive sturgeon if passed. Second-generation+ hybrids with non-listed species would be exempt from the listing.CITES Appendix II — international trade requires documentation. Wild harvest is banned; all commercial product is farmed.
At a menu
The connoisseur's default: nutty, firm, food-friendly. Hard to go wrong.
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