This week’s cheese selection is produced at a small dairy in the village of Benedello di Pavullo, high in the Apennine mountains, just southwest of Modena, Italy. There, at Caseificio Sociale San Pietro, some 2,500 ft above sea level, head cheesemaker, Massimo Libra, produces 8 wheels of raw cow’s milk cheese a day, 365 days a year. The cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano. Producing this cheese at such high elevation has earned Mossimo’s wheels the designation of, Produtto di Montagna, a distinction awarded by the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium to promote exceptional cheeses with unique qualities. Mountain pastures provide diverse ground cover and forage, which lend their qualities to the milk. Of over 350 producers of Parmigiano Reggiano throughout Italy, only 30 have received this mountain designation. Once produced, according to established rules of the Consortium, Mossimo’s cheeses must age at the dairy for no less than 12 months before they can travel to market. The wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano we sell in our shops have been aged for much longer, at the hands of Giorgio Cravero, a 6th generation affineur from the town of Bra, in Piedmont, about 200 miles west of the dairy. Giorgio maintains roughly 5,000 wheels of carefully selected Parmigiano Reggiano in his caves at any one time, paying close attention to temperature and humidity as he seeks his proprietary standards of taste and texture. His cave maintains his desired conditions throughout most of the year, naturally, with windows open, and air conditioning only needed during the hottest summer months of June, July and August. Giorgio believes in a process of slow maturation, with minimal handling. Wheels are not washed, and are only turned every other week as they age on decades old pine boards. The result of this approach is a cheese with a more tender, sweet and fruity paste from rind to rind. After an additional 12 months of aging in Bra, Giorgio’s cheeses are graded by delegates of the Consortium, and shipped out to the U.S., and to our shops. Crumbly, yet buttery, with notes of pineapple and toasted pecans, Cravero recommends drinking Prosecco with his cheese. We found a match in the Flora Prosecco from Col di Luna Winery, located in the Treviso region of Italy, a little north of Venice. This crisp, bubbly white wine, with notes of alpine flowers and apples, mellows the cheese’s bite, bringing sweetness top of mind. Mouthfeel is rich and balanced in flavor and texture, and bubbles top things off. Cin! Cin!
The Pairing: What Goes With Summer?
The artisan cheese movement within the United States has grown exponentially over the last few decades. Not long ago, domestic, small batch farmstead cheeses were hard to find, and when they were being made, supply was extremely tight, or quality was suboptimal. As each year has passed, more and more cheeses have hit the market, and quality continues to improve. For this week’s pairing, we’re highlighting one of the pioneers of our country’s artisan cheese movement, David Major. After graduating from Harvard in the early 80’s, David set out on a mission to save his family’s 250 acre farm, located in West Westminster, Vermont, and it’s tiny herd of sheep. His solution: Cheese. After a series of early struggles in cheesemaking of his own, David travelled to the French Pyrenees to learn from the world’s best sheep’s milk cheese producers. Today, with over 30 years of cheesemaking experience under his belt, David and his family shepherd a herd of anywhere between 300-700 sheep, on the oldest sheep dairy in the country, Vermont Shepherd Farm, milking an average of 200 ewes, twice a day, beginning each year in April. Vermont Shepherd’s flagship cheese is, Verano, which in Spanish translates to “Summer,” which points to the fact that this cheese is only produced while the herd is foraging on fresh pasture. While cows and goats may be milked all year long, sheep milk is seasonal, beginning only once lambs are weaned-off their mother’s milk in early spring, and lasting not longer than November. Because of this, production of Verano is exceedingly small, landing at somewhere between 10-30, 7 lb wheels a day. A rich, earthy cheese with a moist ivory paste, Verano exudes flavors of brown butter, salted caramel, and hearty herbs like fresh thyme and mint. For this week’s wine pairing, we’ve chosen a selection from California’s Central Coast, Union Sacre Pinot Blanc. As we paired this cheese and wine, we found fruit notes in the wine to bring out an underlying sweetness within the milk. Additionally, mouthfeel was improved for both, providing a delicate balance on the palate, as textures married perfectly. Some pairings are good, but others are great. The pairing of these two elevate one another in a way you’re sure to enjoy.
The Pairing: 1655 Gruyere
Ask any cheesemonger, one of the most common questions we receive is, “what are you excited about right now?” We appreciate this approach, for it carves out space ideal for sharing knowledge and reinforcing our skills. But remember this: cheesemongers play favorites, just like you and me. Sure, we get super excited every time a yummy cheese hits the case, but we don’t forget the pillars of the case that are always there for us. For this week’s pairing, we’re highlighting one of those good old standby cheeses; one that always tastes delicious, was likely mentioned in a recipe you recently perused, and one you’ll find in our case all year long. Gruyère. Outside of a few seasonal Gruyère offerings that delight us once or twice a year, our workhorse Gruyère is named after the year of its first known written existence, 1655. Produced in a small dairy on the outskirts of the medieval village of Gruyère, about 30 minutes southwest of Fribourg, Switzerland, cheesemaker Jean-Marie Dunand is committed to producing the highest quality Gruyère, with precision. With only the finest milk available to him, Dunand does what he always has, transforming milk into gold. After their creation, his cheeses are aged for 3 months at the dairy, before heading north to Fromage Gruyère SA, the smallest public affineur in the region, and the only remaining affineur in Fribourg, the birthplace of Gruyère. The affineurs of Fromage Gruyère seek out only the best quality cheeses to age in their cellars, and ultimately name, 1655. Our wheels of 1655 arrive to us at around 12-14 months of age. The cheeses paste is springy and pliable to the touch, yet creamy and fudge-like on the chew. Early notes of green pasture and roasted hazelnuts give way to garlic and spring onions sautéed in butter, mixed with heavy cream, leaving you with only the slightest thought of barnyard. We were delighted to pair this European mountain classic with a red blend from Red Tail Ridge Winery, located on the northern shore of Lake Keuka, in the Finger Lakes region of New York. A 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Blaufränkish, their “Frost Smoke” blend marries perfectly with this cheese. With notes of blackberry pie and ripe dates, the wine’s mid-range tannins don’t interfere with the cheese, but support its body. Meanwhile, the rich milk balances the grapes, creating a smooth mouthfeel that leaves you refreshed and wanting more.
The Pairing Returns: Elusive goat's milk cheese from France
After a brief summer vacation, our weekly pairings are back! This week we explore a Basque cheese produced in the central Pyrenees mountains, along France’s southern border with Spain. For over 4 decades, Pascual Beillevaire, of Fromagerie Beillevaire, has has been sharpening his skill of producing the highest quality cheeses from the highest quality milk. However, what sets Pascual apart from many of his peers, is his skill of cultivating connections between France’s best producers, and the most discerning consumers worldwide. The cheese we’ll enjoy this week is not produced by Pascual himself, but rather sourced and aged by Pascual in his own caves, to his level of perfection. Named after one of the region’s most historic mountain passes, Somport Chévre Fermier is a raw goat milk tomme-style cheese which represents all the best qualities of traditional Basque cheesemaking. Pascual sources his wheels of Somport from the 4 local dairies that he believes use the tastiest milk. Sweet and nutty, with a fine acidity and medium-firm paste, Somport melts creamy on the palette. Typical of most tomme-style cheeses, its rind is rustic in color, and smells of damp earth.
For a wine pairing, we’ve chosen Broc Cellar’s, Got Grapes, a red blend from northern California which comes to us through the careful marriage of select recent vintages from their cellars. The wine is lighter bodied, and tastes of cherry pie, yet floral notes within the grapes elevate flavors in the cheese, and mutual levels of acidity balance nicely together. Just the perfect amount of fruit bounces from the wine to leave you smiling
The Pairing Week 17: Two greats, great together
This week we’re excited for the opportunity to highlight two more fantastic french offerings as part of our weekly pairing series. Last week we visited a dairy located just outside of Paris, and this week we head southeast to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, to a special place deep in the densely forested Haut Doubs, where we stumble upon a relic of the Franco-Prussian war, Fort Lucotte. Purchased in 1967 by a man named, Marcel Petite, this bunker once used for defending troops, is now enlisting wheels of Comté, with the sole duty of aging them to perfection. Situated not far from the border with Switzerland, the surrounding hills of the Jura mountains are made up of thick limestone rock formations which were used in construction of the fort, some 150 years ago. This defunct military bunker provides the ideal environment for aging wheels of Comté, and allows for the type of slow maturation once envisioned by Marcel Petite. Time is money, but a slower, gentler maturation cycle at lower temperature produces superior wheels of Comté. Wheels of cheese are delivered to the fort from local cheesemakers in neighboring villages, and each day, the fort’s affineurs taste individual cheeses and tailor their aging strategy. Some wheels are destined for the table earlier, with others using time to their advantage as they take on deeper, more complex texture and flavor traits. Our wheel of Comté for this week lands at right around 10 months of age, and possesses notes of caramelized onion, roasted nuts and brown butter, with a boozy finish and the slightest hint of hay. To pair with this cheese, we’ve selected, Domaine Paul Nicolle’s 2018 Chablis, a white wine produced in the village of fleys, just a couple miles from Chablis proper. This 100% chardonnay from northern burgundy provides a perfect balance to the rich aroma and flavor within the cheese. The wine’s creamy mouthfeel, high level of acidity, and taut minerality encourage the cheese to develop on the palate, showcasing an evolution of flavors.
The Pairing Week 16: Camembert + Pallus Messanges Rouge
For this week’s pairing, we continue on our journey through France, this time landing on an organic farm just 35 miles southwest of Paris named, Ferme de la Tremblaye. Since 1967 this dairy farm has been working towards becoming their ideal model of sustainable agriculture; one that mimics the rich, lush soils of the nearby Rambouillet forest by encouraging plant and animal biodiversity, meanwhile minimizing their carbon footprint and eliminating demand for outside resources along the way. Combining modern soil management strategy and farming techniques with traditional methods of cheesemaking has proven successful for this dairy business in its effort to produce the highest quality farmstead cheeses. Their herd of 150 cows and 350 goats supplies milk for production of both soft-ripened, bloomy rind cheeses and blue cheeses. This week we’ve chosen their cow’s milk Camembert for our pairing selection. Made with nothing more than pasteurized whole cow’s milk, cultures, natural rennet, and salt, this cheese is the the best version of a french Camembert available to us here in the U.S. When tasting this cheese, early notes of cooked egg yolk and toasted garlic gradually develop into more of an earthy, mushroomy, damp wood aroma and flavor. The cheese is fudgy, salty and creamy, and tastes like the farm — in the best way possible. We’ve paired this perfectly ripe Camembert with a Chinon from Domaine de Pallus Winery, located in the central Loire Valley, along the northern edge of the Vienne river just southwest from Tours. Following a similar approach and care for his soil, Bertrand Sourdais, the winery’s 5th generation winemaker closely monitors the rhythms of his vineyard in his attempt to produce the best grapes possible. We found the wine’s juicy bubblegum fruit, generous acid, and lightly structured tannins complementary towards the cheese and its heady posture. The wine gently tames the cheese’s pungent bite, while the cheese reveals leafy green notes within the grape, bringing on new levels of complexity.
The Pairing Week 15: French Softies
After focusing our attention on German cheese and wine for the last few weeks of our pairing series, we now shift our energy to France. Our cheese cave has just been reloaded with newly arrived French goodies, and the time to explore them is now. For this week’s pairing, we head to the northern region of Champagne - Ardenne, just east of Paris and bordering Burgundy to the south. Here we find a cheese named, Langres, a deeply rich and creamy, soft-ripened cow’s milk cheese produced at La Fromagerie Germain. Made with pasteurized cow’s milk harvested from a small number of farms within 20 miles of the creamery, this savory cheese is complex in both form and flavor. Whereas most cheeses of this type may be flipped multiple times over the course of the first few days of their life, to achieve a balanced, symmetrical shape, Langres is only turned once during its entire production. The result is a hollowed surface on its top side, in which tradition might recommend a splash or douse of Champagne to aid creaminess and add excitement. While not a Champagne, our wine pairing for this week sparkles, and is produced by winemaker Julien Raimbault, a little ways to the southwest, in the wine growing region of Vouvray, within the Loire Valley. This bright and citrusy, lighter-bodied sparkling white, made with 100% Chenin Blanc grapes, promotes the cheese’s yeasty rind and balances its salty, meaty profile. The bubbles help to scrub the palate and the wine’s delicate sweetness lightens the mood. Do yourself a favor this weekend and celebrate this pairing for yourself!
The Pairing Week 13: German Wine Detour (Part 1)
For the next two weeks in our pairing series, we’ll focus our attention on cheeses produced at a small dairy in southern Germany, called Hofkäserei Kraus. It is here, in the southern Bavarian Alps, just north of the Austrian border, where Albert Kraus produces his innovative cheeses that taste delicious and differentiate themselves from traditional regional norms. In 2018, Albert completed construction of a new, state of the art production facility designed to increase production capacity of his cheeses, and also provide space for experimentation and future partnerships. Albert’s goal is to inspire the market with cheese that stands out from others in both flavor and form. This week we’re highlighting his first major success, Alex. Named after a local rail route, and inspired by traditional European mountain cheeses, but with new twists, Alex has made a splash within the cheese world. With milk from select surrounding farms, including his older brother’s, Albert turns raw milk from Braunvieh cows into his own version of a classic. Sweet and creamy, with a meaty bite and flavors of deep butterfat and composted hay, we found Alex to pair beautifully with a German Rosé from the Pfalz, a wine-growing region just a few hours to the north. Von Winning Winery’s Pinot Noir Rosé presents a crisp acidity, with complimentary mineral notes, and a mouthful of ripe raspberry, melon and vanilla. A slight sparkle and subtle tannins within the wine both balance the cheese’s richness and efficiently soothe the palate.
The Pairing Week 12: Blue Cheese (Part 2, the Heavy Hitter)
For the second week in a row, we’re focusing our attention on one of the world’s most famous blue cheeses. This week’s pairing selection takes us to a small region in southern France called Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, where we find Maison Carles, one of the world’s smallest producers of Roquefort who export their cheese to the U.S. For nearly 100 years, this 3rd generation cheesemaking family has been producing Roquefort by hand, relying on an old-world recipe and time-tested techniques to achieve brilliance. It was in 1924 that Roquefort became the first French cheese to receive its AOC status, a label indicating that the cheese had been produced in a specific geographical region according to strict production regulations. And now, under the leadership of Delphine Carles, and amongst only 7 producers of Roquefort in the world, Maison Carles stands out to us as one of the best we’ve tasted. Made with milk from their own herd of pastured Lacaunes sheep, and inoculated with house-grown mold harvested from locally made rye bread, Carles Roquefort is deeply complex, subtly sweet, and ripe with bluish green veins of molding. Aging of these wheels occurs underground in cavernous limestone fissures, known as fleurines, which provide the perfect form of natural ventilation needed to ripen the cheese. For a wine pairing, we’ve selected Domaine La Tour Vieille’s Banyuls Rimage 2016. Made from fully ripened Grenache grapes, and employing a process known as mutage, which arrests fermentation within the grape must, producing a sweeter tasting wine, this rich and silky Banyuls dessert wine from French Catalonia provides a perfect balance to this luscious salty cheese.
The Pairing Week 11: Blue Cheese (part 1)
There are few cheeses more widely recognized by name, or tightly woven into our dining traditions, than English Stilton. With its velvety texture, sweet and mushroomy blue mold, and meaty sea salt finish, Stilton hits all the best flavor buttons. Our preferred Stilton comes to us from Colston Bassett Dairy, located within Nottinghamshire County, in the Midlands region of Central England. One of the smallest of just 6 dairies authorized to produce Stilton, and an operation that’s been going strong for over 100 years, Colston Bassett takes pride in its hands-on approach to quality and consistency. Much of their success can be traced to the fact that they’ve employed just 4 head cheesemakers throughout their entire cheesemaking history. A common pairing suggestion for Stilton might be Port wine, and while we don’t necessarily disagree, we’ve found something perhaps a little more fun for this time around. This sparkling Gamay Rosé, from Bernard Rondeau, made in the southernmost region of the Jura Mountains of France, is full of red summer fruit, gentile tannins and a balance of residual sugars and acid that fit perfectly with this sturdy cheese. A fully expressive pairing highlighting the wild streak of natural fermentation.