Aged Comté PDO Cheese

Description

Aged Comté PDO

This fabulous Aged Comté has an incredibly rich, deep flavour which lingers long in the mouth. They say that there are 80 different aromas within a Comté cheese. This is the most perfect example of Comté we’ve tasted. It has a dry, dusty rind protecting its crumbly paste.

Comté was the first French cheese to be awarded protected status by the French National Institute of Origin and Quality. The PDO for the cheese states that it must be made from unpasteurised milk in the Jura area of France and the milk used must be mostly from Montbeliarde cows with some French Simmental milk permitted.

At the time of writing there are 13 affineurs who specialise in ageing the vast wheels of Comté. Their job involves grading each and every cheese and they award points out of 20 for each wheel. Cheeses which score 15 or above are given a green band around their rind and this shows that they are of the highest quality, 12-14 points are given a brown band and those scoring 11 or below are not permitted to be sold as Comté.

Our Aged Comté is matured in cellars in Vieux d’Izenave (Eastern France). Here the affineur will check the wheels at least three times a week. During this time he will brush their rinds to keep them fresh as well as tapping around the edges of each cheese listening for any cracks within. This ensures that the cheeses we sell are always of the upmost quality.

As you eat it, let the flavours fill your mouth and your nose. This cheese is wonderful eaten on its own but we love to have it with a light Pinot Noir. The subtlety in the wine will allow the cheese to take centre stage.

Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)

MILK, salt, starter cultures, rennet.