Soft ripened cheeses with mould on the rind

The great names of the family of cheeses are: Camembert, Brie, Coulommiers, Chaource, Brillat, Savarin. Another cheese in this family well known to cheese lovers is the Ecir de L'Aubrac a "tresor" to delight the palate. These soft ripened cheeses area classical choice for the composition of a well balanced cheese board. The cheese's rind after two to four weeks of maturing is covered with fine white soft blanket of downy mould. The pate ( dough ) should be pliable and creamy without being runny. These cheeses have a smell and taste of melted butter and fresh mushrooms. The majority of these cheeses are made from cow's milk

Production methods:

The curd, extremely fragile and not cut, is poured with a ladle ( sometimes by a machine ) into molds with holes in the bottom that allow the whey to drain off. The molds are turned over several times until the curd becomes firm. The cheeses are then taken out of the molds, sprayed with penicillium candidum and salted. The heavy percentage of water in the cheeses and the high humidity in the maturing cellars allows the penicillium candidum to develop a white mould characteristic of these cheeses. The cheeses are regularly turned; this allows them to develop their aroma and flavor. The rind starts by taking on a golden hue with little freckles of brown and red, which adds to the taste but is not at all sharp on the tongue. The maturing process takes about 10 days to two months.

Soft ripened cheeses with washed rind

Soft-ripened cheeses with washed rind and soft-ripened cheeses with mould on the rind follow the same production up to the maturing process. At maturing, ( affinage ) these cheeses are brushed and washed which gives them a distinctive characteristic. In the ripening cellars the cheeses acquire a coating of mould which is immediately eliminated with a humid cloth or by brushing the cheese in a salty brine ( la saumure ). This period lasts from 2 to 4 months and the cheeses are regularly turned. The longer these cheeses are matured, the rind will take on an orange color and the pate will become runny. The cheeses are generally washed with salty brine, but certain cheeses are washed with alcohol added to the brine: marc, wine, cider, beer, etc. are often added to the wash. This washing gives the rind an elastic and supple texture, it also perfumes the cheese with a distinctive aroma without dominating its taste.

Generally, these cheeses are creamy with a taste and aroma of the countryside. ( Our note : not unlike the wonderful "barnyard" odors of a great red burgundy wine ). One finds these wines in the North East of France and Normandy regions. The great names in this family are: Maroilles, Pont-L'Eveque, Munster, Langres, Epoisses.

The Suggested Wines to Serve with the Cheeses along with comments from the course .. Our comments are in ( )

Combier - Crozes Hermitage ( blanc ) 1999

Laurent Combier personifies the spirit that has transformed the once sleep appellation of Croze-Hermitag in that last few years. Instead of sending their grapes to the all-powerful local cooperative, Laurent persuaded his father, Maurice, to produce a wine of their own and they have quickly become one of the stars of Croze-Hermitage. This white Croze-Hermitage is made from 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussane grapes. The nose, smell and taste is peach with a well balanced acidity note.

( Our comments - We were able to locate this wine. There was nice length to this wine with a bit of complexity that we feel could really improve with about 3-5 years of bottle age. We drank it with the course but feel that it would have been a much finer wine with a bit of cellaring time , say 2-4 years)

Andre Perret - St. Joseph 1999

Andre is one of the references amongst the Condrieu and St. Joseph wine makers. His production is very limited, but always denotes a huge concentration of aromas. This St. Joseph wine is made from 100% syrah grapes and is harvested by hand. The appearance is deep red. The nose, and taste is at first black fruits and blackberries with a nice length.

( Our comments - While this wine is not easily found in the US, we used a 95 Guigal - Hermitage for our notes)

The Cheeses: The cheeses are listed in the recommended order of tasting. Here we will include both the supplied notes on the cheeses and the associated wines along with our comments in ( ).

Saint Marcellins

This cheese was born many centuries ago from goats milk. Saint-Marcellin is today produced from cow's milk. In the Ardeche region of France there are still a few farmers producing Saint-Marcellin from goat's milk. The cheese has a soft pâte and should be eaten in a creamy state. It has a light, subtle acidic taste and gives off a vegetable aroma.

( our comments: A big surprise in that we all thought this tasted like a goat's milk cheese. Very clean on the palate, slight sharpness ... to us the aroma was almost negligible)

Croze-Hermitage: The strong overtone of the cheese's milk taste does not marry well with the wine. On contrast with the wine the cheese develops a disagreeable metallic taste. Not a happy relationship. ( while we did not find this disagreeable ...we did find that there sharpness of the cheese completely washed out the white Croze )

St. Joseph : The immediate taste is surprising , but unhappily it does not last. This is a marriage of no particular distinction.

(Guigal - we thought the strength of the syrah completely dominated the clean freshness of this cheese. Not a bad taste but not a good match )

Camembert

Well known throughout the world, Camembert is the cheese the most often copied, but connoisseurs know that the true Camembert comes from only five departments in Normandie. It is produced from raw milk and ladled into cheese vats. A genuine Camembert mentions the production process on its packaging. A good cheese is "affiné" (matured) to the very heart of cheese, its pâte is a clear yellow with a delicate, subtle salty taste. ( WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are like us, and your only experience with this cheese was the doughy, somewhat tough versions that are available in most US supermarkets ....... you are in for a wonderful surprise !! The texture was wonderful and the lingering soft, sweet mushroom taste was heady !! ... only problem now is that we can no longer enjoy that which we find at our local store !! )

Croze-Hermitage: Taste with the rind to experience a medley of savors that demonstrates a delicate sophistication of contrasting pleasures. First one enjoys the savors of the cheese, followed by the fruitiness of the wine, to finish with a lasting taste of the cheese. Tasting without the rind renders the same pleasure but not so pronounced. ( we felt that here the cheese slightly dominated the wine. A "nice" combination but one we might prefer a white Bordeaux with more )

St. Joseph: The cheese, tasted without it's rind gives an exceptional concordance. The savor of fruits explodes in the mouth. Slowly the delicious flavor of the cheese reins in the fruity savors of the wine, this allow for a long lasting harmonious experience of pleasure. Extraordinary!

(Guigal - This we thought was a toss up between it and the Brie / St. Joseph as the top wine cheese marriage of the evening .. we thought the "country" flavors of this and the syrah grape were made for each other )

Brie de Meaux

French cheese's king of kings. Since the Middle Ages this cheese has captured the hearts of all those who have experienced its outstanding taste. In the 19th century is was considered the finest cheese in Europe, thanks to the French statesman Talleyrand who introduced it at a diplomats' dinner. It is produced near Paris, which has no doubt helped its reputation. The geographical separation between the places of production and "affinage" is a Brie tradition. The pâte is compact and even textured. Its colour is pale yellow, reminiscent of straw. Its rind looks like white velvet. The taste is creamy, and as the maturing process continues one detects a subtle nutty flavour. In 1980 this cheese was accepted into the AOC family.

Croze-Hermitage: When tasted without the rind, these two made a superb marriage. All of the aromas of country pasturelands are sensed. A gourmet delight. ( Here we fully agree ... the best match with the Croze of all of the cheeses tasted }

St. Joseph: The Brie is subservient to the wine, allowing the wine to develop all of its fruity flavors and leave a long after taste on the palate, but in the background on senses the quality and the flavors of brie.

(Guigal - To us this was one of the poorer matches ...we did not like the way the fruit of the wine seemed to fight with the cheese )

Pont l'Eveque

One of the oldest of French cheeses, its origins trace back to the 12th century under the name of d'Angelot. It was only in the 17th century that it took its name from the village where it was made, namely, Pont L'Evêque. The village is situated between Lisieux and Granville in Normandie. This cheese is greatly appreciated by cheese lovers for its taste which is acquired from the gentle sun and humidity that produce the lush green grass in Normandie. As the cheese ripens, the rind takes on an orange/red colour, with a pate that is soft and yellow. The taste is creamy , finely textured and smooth, extremely pleasant. This cheese obtained the AOC rating in 1976.

Croze-Hermitage: Again, it's better to eat this without the rind. Here we find that the wine faintly dominates the cheese, this is because its savor is enhanced by the buttery flavor of the cheese. The fruitiness of the wine is paramount on the palate and it loses the acidic note. ( The 2nd best match with the Croze .. but not one that set us to raving. We think a semilion based white would stand much nicer with this one )

St. Joseph: The cheese takes away from the flavor of the wine and a harsh bitter taste develops.

(Guigal - We didn't mind this combination .. not great .. but not bad. Thought that perhaps a pinot or Bordeaux would have been a better match )

Livarot

Livarot is one of the oldest cheeses in Normandie, and at the end of the 19th century was reputed to have the highest rate of consumption. The reporters of that epoch wrote about it as "poor man’s meat" due to its high nutritional value. The cheese is circled by five bands of rush leaves that prevent the cheese from collapsing during maturing. These five bands are reminiscent of the five stripes a colonel wears on his uniform; it is for this reason the cheese is known as the Colonel. Today these bands are more for show than necessity in production. In fact, industrial dairies replace the rush leaves with bands of green paper. In the course of its maturing, Livarot is coloured reddish/orange with the natural taint of rocou, a South American plant. This makes the rind smooth and brilliant. Depending on the length of maturing, the pâte is a golden yellow with a taste that is perfumed and slightly piquant. The lovers of this cheese delight in its strong odour and full flavour. ( Ok folks .... this is the one cheese whose scent will remain on your fingers and mustache for hours to come. Subtle it is NOT !!. Candidly it scared our group just a bit. There was more than on comment of "Phew .. what is that ??". A cheese that begs to be kept in 2-3 zip lock bags !! Now .. after saying all of that ... we worked up our bravery to try it and found that the tasting it without the rind resulted in many surprised expressions !! Yes it did have strength, but not overpoweringly so. However when the rind is included, you need to be prepared for quite a heady experience !! To all of our surprise it was the 3rd favorite of the evening )

Croze-Hermitage: An excellent example of two products that do not see eye to eye. They mutually destroy each other. ( This is putting it mildly !!! ... we know of NO white wine that would stand up to this cheese !! )

St. Joseph: Another Great Little Marriage! The wine brings out the flavors of the cheese. It changes the nutty taste of the cheese into a spicy delight. Delicious and surprising !

(Guigal - To us this was a rocky marriage at best. Most seemed to agree that the bouquet of this cheese fully upset the wine. We thought that a good Zinfandel or perhaps even a young Port would perhaps have been a better choice here )

Apices

The origins of the Epoisses can be found at the L’abbaye de Citeaux. It is here that the monks first produced this remarkable complicated cheese. We are told that Napoleon was partial to this cheese and ate it with Chambertin wine. It was very popular in the early part of the twentieth century but disappeared during the second world war. It was only in 1946 that two local Bourguignon families started to produce it. The well known Epicurean Brillat Savarin called it the King of cheeses. The cheese has a powerful rich flavor with a pungent smell. The pate, is fine textured with a mouth watering taste of sweet, salty and creamy milk flavors. The rind is regularly washed in Marc, this adds to its complexity and fascinating taste. Many people consider it one of the most interesting French cheeses. It is often compared to the character of two well known French historic personalities, the Epoisses has the force of Charles le Téméraire and the sensibility of Madame de Sévigné. ( Here we strongly disagreed with the suggested serving order ... this cheese should have been served prior to the really strong Livarot !! This was the favorite cheese of the evening ... the best way to put it is "elegant strength". Its flavors stood well on their own, the length and developing flavors on the palate were complex and wonderful. This was the one cheese that there was none left of at the end of the evening !! )

Croze-Hermitage: The lusty and puissant tasting cheese dominates the wine. But one notices a surprisingly delicate softening of the strong tasting cheese as the wine reacts. The wine clearly brings out the savor of the cheese without losing its value. ( We found that "dominates" is putting it mildly. To our tastes there was no way that the wine could keep up with the richness of this cheese. Our first thoughts were perhaps for a fine old Meursault for this one )

St. Joseph: An ovation to pleasure ! There is an instant communion of flavors and savors. One immediately senses an explosion of harmonious fragrances. First a sip of wine followed by the taste of cheese ... a rare sensation, a memorable pleasure.

(Guigal - While we still thought the camembert was the single best match with this wine .. the combo was our second choice. Several also thought that a Pinotage might be a really interesting combination here.)

In general we were delighted with our first experiences with these cheeses and the course material. One thing we found was that we had prepared WAY too much other food for the evening !! For the next one we are simply going to have lots of fresh bread, fruit, raw veggies and a few sliced meats at most.

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