55th Reunion Cheese-tasting Descriptions

The Class of '69's 55th Reunion featured another amazing wine- and cheese tasting, with the cheese provided by Bill and Anne Charrier.  Below are the descriptions of the cheeses we tasted.  Click here for the Wine descriptions.  Enjoy!

Epoisses

(Cow Milk; France)

Epoisses, the pungent pride of Burgundy, is more than just a cheese. It’s a sensory journey into the heart of French gastronomy, a testament to centuries-old traditions, and a bold statement in flavor.  This legendary cheese, hailing from the quaint village of Epoisses in the Burgundy region of France, has been captivating palates and stirring conversations since the 16th century.

With an aroma so robust it was once banned from French public transportation, Epoisses is not for the faint of heart.  Yet, those who dare to delve into its creamy depths are rewarded with a rich, nuanced flavor that truly embodies the spirit of its homeland.

Made from cow’s milk and best paired with full-bodied red Burgundy wine and crusty baguette.

Mitica Sottocenere al Tartufo

(Cow Milk; Italy)

Sottocenere al tartufo is a very pale yellow to off-white cheese with truffles that has a grey-brown ash rind.  It has a somewhat mild taste and is semi-soft in firmness.

Sottocenere (meaning "under ash") is originally from Venice, Italy, and is made with pasteurized cow's milk and slices of truffles, then rubbed with various herbs and spices.  It is aged in an ash rind as a way to preserve it over a long period without losing flavor, a tradition in the Venetian region. The ash is also used to convey subtle flavors into the cheese, with a variety of spices (like nutmeg, coriander, anise, cinnamon, licorice, cloves, and fennel) mixed with the ash.  The al tartufo refers to the addition of slivers of black truffle into the cheese, during the cheese making.

Brugge Comtesse

(Cow Milk; Belgium)

Brugge Comtesse is the Grande Dame in the range of Brugge cheeses. With its creamy texture, ivory coloured centre and fruity aroma it keeps on surprising.

Comtesse has a generous, multi-faceted flavor with notes of roasted hazelnut, vanilla and summer fruit. It goes extremely well with an aperitif, but also in a sandwich or fresh salad.  It also combines particularly well with sun-ripened figs, slightly sweet chutneys and earthy root vegetables. The possibilities are endless.

Brugge Comtesse is made from naturally processed cow’s milk, without the addition of natural colorants. This gives the cheese its wonderful pale color.  A special feature is that the cheese is salted for a shorter time, so it contains less salt than other cheeses of its type.  It is also naturally lactose-free.

Wegmans Cave-Ripened Intense Brie

(Cow Milk; France)

Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern département of Seine-et-Marne).  It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold.  The rind is typically eaten, with its flavor depending largely upon the ingredients used and its manufacturing environment.  It is similar to Camembert, which is native to a different region of France.  Brie typically contains between 60% and 75% butterfat, slightly higher than Camembert.

"Brie" is a style of cheese, and is not in itself a protected name, although some regional bries are protected.

This rendition has a stronger, more traditional French flavor with rich mushroomy notes that deepen as it ripens.

Istara P'Tit Basque

(Sheep Milk; France)

P'tit Basque is a 100% pure sheep's milk cheese produced in France's Basque region in the Pyrenees Mountains, the region that spans the border between France and Spain.  Traditionally, it was handmade by shepherds from leftover curds set aside from milking their ewes.  Even today, P'tit Basque is made using the same method used by the local shepherds.

The semi-hard cheese, with its taffy-like texture, buttery color, and caramel aroma, is aged for a minimum of 70 days, during which it develops a basket-weave pattern similar to Spain's famous Manchego cheese but with milder and more delicate flavor.  It has a distinctive aroma of sheep's milk and a smooth, sweet flavor with a nutty finish.

Caseificio Dell'Alta Langa Castelbelo

(Cow, Sheep and Goat Milk; Italy)

Castelbelbo is a soft, creamy cheese produced by Caseificio dell’Alta Langa in the Piedmont region of Italy.  It’s made from a blend of cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. 

Located in the Piedmont region of Italy, and named after the province of Alta Langa, Caseificio dell’Alta Langa produces exemplary soft-ripened cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheeses. This area is famous for its picturesque rolling pastures and woods and its production of fine cheeses, truffles and wine. With subtle flavors of fresh grass and cream, Castelbelbo is an approachable crowd-pleaser with an almost imperceptible rind.

Fromage des Jacques

(Cow Milk; Switzerland)

Carefully crafted in the deep, cool caves of the Santenberg mountain, a few miles from Lucerne, Switzerland’s Alpine Valley.  Sweet and unassuming at first, this semi-firm cheese deliciously insists you return for another bite.

Président Premium Emmentaler

(Cow Milk; France)

Président Emmental Swiss pressed hard cheese is notable for its distinctive holes or "eyes" formed during the fermentation process, and nutty, sweet flavor.  It is made from pasteurized milk of grass-fed cows in the northwestern region of France.

“True” Emmental cheese originates from the Emme valley of Switzerland.  While "Emmentaler" is registered as a geographical indication in Switzerland, a limited number of other countries recognize the term as a geographical indication. Similar cheeses of other origins, especially from France (as Emmental), the Netherlands, Bavaria, and Finland, are widely available and sold by that name.  In some parts of the world, the names "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are used interchangeably for Emmental-style cheese.

Société Roquefort Bleu

(Sheep Milk: France)

Long ago, an ardent young shepherd, perched on the Combalou plateau in France, spied a beautiful shepherdess in the distance.  Determined to woo her, he hastily left his flock but not before placing his meal—ewe’s milk curds on rye bread—in a nearby cave, damp and cool.  After days of hopeless searching, the shepherd returned, dejected and famished, to his leftover lunch.  Mold blanketed the bread, and deep green veins marbled the curds.  The starving shepherd tasted the moldy cheese. “Mais c’est bon!” he exclaimed.  And thus, Roquefort was born!  (Well, at least it’s a good story)

Today, all true Roquefort is still created in chilly, damp caves owned by only seven cheese-making companies, each guarding its own secrets for producing its special version.  Société Roquefort is the largest.  With over 700 varieties of Penicillium roqueforti in existence, the possibilities seem infinite.  The mold is what makes the cheese, defining its texture and pungency.  When combined with the unique environment of each cellar, this alchemy creates what one eminent French fromagère calls “the most marvelous cheese in the world.” 

Gelmini Gorgonzola Dolce

(Cow Milk; Italy)

Gorgonzola Dolce is a true Italian masterpiece, known for its unparalleled taste and texture.  It is the “sweeter” gorgonzola – milder and much softer than its Naturale counterpart, but both depend on mold in their aging process, similar to blue cheese.  It is made using pasteurized cow's milk (vs. sheep’s milk for traditional blue cheeses) and is aged for 3 months.  It is very creamy and spreadable in texture, with a light piquancy.

Gorgonzola Dolce hails from the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, where it has been tantalizing taste buds for centuries.  Beneath its ivory exterior lies a beautifully marbled interior, punctuated by characteristic blue-green veins. The natural, edible rind adds to its rustic charm.

Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog

(Goat Milk; California)

Humboldt Fog is a goat milk cheese made by Cypress Grove, of Arcata, California, in Humboldt County.  It is named for the local ocean fog which rolls in from Humboldt Bay.  It is an uncooked, pressed cheese made from pasteurized goat's milk.

Humboldt Fog is mold-ripened with a central line of edible white ash much like Morbier.  The cheese ripens starting with the bloomy mold exterior, resulting in a core of fresh goat cheese surrounded by a runny shell.  As the cheese matures, more of the originally crumbly core is converted to a soft-ripened texture.  The bloomy mold and ash rind are edible but fairly tasteless.  The cheese is creamy, light, and mildly acidic with a stronger flavor near the rind.

Le Chevrefeuille Tome Fleur Verte

(Goat Milk; France)

Le Chevrefeuille Tome Fleur Verte is a fresh goat cheese from Perigord, France that tastes like springtime, thanks to a rind that's rolled in a blend of herbs (like tarragon, savory, and thyme).  The flavor is creamy, smooth, lemony and nicely herbal and displays beautifully on a cheese board.

The word chevrefeuille translates to “honeysuckle” and is a perfect representation of these delicate cheeses. The “Fleur” line of Chevrefeuille cheeses are made with pasteurized goat’s milk.

Queso Corcuera Campo de Montalbán

(Cow, Sheep and Goat Milk; Spain)

Campo de Montalbán is a semi-firm to firm Spanish cheese made from a blend of cow’s, sheep's and goat’s milk in La Mancha.  This cheese resembles manchego in texture and appearance, and until 1985 it was in fact considered a manchego.  Campo de Montalbán is distinguished by its three milk blend, while manchego contains only sheep's milk. The flavor is also similar to manchego.  However, the characters of all three milks are noticeable in Campo de Montalbán.

6 Months Aged Manchego

(Sheep Milk; Spain)

Manchego is made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed.  It is aged between 60 days and 2 years. 

Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, often containing small, unevenly distributed air pockets.  It becomes harder with age. The color of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish-beige.  The cheese has a distinctive flavor, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep's milk.  This 6 months aged rendition is characterized by caramel and nutty flavors.

Cypress Grove Midnight Moon

(Goat Milk; California)

Goat Gouda, an often overlooked member of the cheese family, is a Dutch delight that deserves its moment in the culinary spotlight.  Born in the verdant pastures of the Netherlands, this semi-hard cheese is crafted from the rich, creamy milk of goats rather than cows.  Its unique origins lend it a flavor profile that’s refreshingly different from its cow-milk counterpart.  This variety comes to us via California.

The color of Goat Gouda ranges from a creamy white to a light, sun-kissed yellow, and its texture is pleasingly firm yet smooth.  With an aging time typically between 4 to 10 weeks, this cheese undergoes a transformation that deepens its flavors and enhances its inherent creaminess.

Goat Gouda offers a sweet and nutty taste that’s punctuated by a hint of caramel.  It’s not overly pungent, but instead, presents a mild aroma that’s slightly tangy.  It has lower lactose content compared to cow’s milk cheeses, making it a more digestible choice for those with lactose sensitivities.

Cooper’s Hill Cheddar

(Cow Milk; England)

This Creamy Double Gloucester Cheddar cheese gets a delicately bright bite thanks to a balanced blend of chives and onions.

The ubiquitous Cheddar is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colorings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting.  It originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England.

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester.  Participants race down the 200-yard long hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.  The event has a long tradition, held by the people of the local village of Brockworth, but now people from all over the world take part. 

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor

(Goat Milk; California)

Crafted in northern California by an award-winning artisan creamery, this soft ripened goat cheese is a flavor powerhouse and the second offering in our tasting from Cypress Grove.

It is characterized by heavy floral, herbaceous, and mushroom notes.  If you love Humboldt Fog and can’t get enough of truffles, this is a cheese to know.  Like other soft-ripened cheeses, Truffle Tremor has a bloomy rind that allows the cheese to ripen from the outside in.  As it continues to ripen and mature, the creamline develops and the flavor intensifies — an ooey-gooey, ripe Truffle Tremor is not for the faint of heart.