Fork & Bottle: Jack's Cheese Pairings June 2007

June 28, 2007 - Jack (with Joanne's cheese notes)

Part of the Great Artisan Cheese Pairing Project: Jack has chosen four cheeses and listed the accompaniments tried with each cheese including five wines.

Andante Dairy's Picolo

Picolo is a cow's milk triple-cream cheese. The Andante Dairy website suggests trying Picolo with a Gruner Veltliner or a minerally wine like a Sardinian Vermentino. The nose is of mushrooms and minerals. The rind has a bit of acridness and the inside is creamy and runny at room temperature. In fact an older cheese will completely run from the rind at room temperature allowing you to scrape it up on bread. The flavor is very salty and minerally with a great acidity on the finish.

Great pairing: Spätlese-level German Riesling, Honey, Fig Paste

Good pairing: Plum Paste, La Panzanella Flatbread, Corvina-blend (red wine)

Neutral pairing: Ribolla-blend (white wine)

Not-so-good pairing: Whole grain bread, Green apple, Rosé, Champagne

Bad pairing: (none)

Langres

There are five makers of Langres: Fromagerie Germain, Fromagerie Schertenleib, Coopérative laitière, Ferme Remillet, and Modia but only one is in Chalancey where this cheese is labeled from. I'm assuming that this Langres is from Fromagerie Germain (who also make an Époisses).

Langres originates in the Chalancey in the Haute Marne which is in the Champagne region of France. Langres is a small cylindrical washed rind cheese with an indent on top (or well) which the French call a "fontaine". The well is supposed to be filled with Marc de Champagne or champagne before consuming. It is closely related to Epoisses with an orange/red rind which comes from rubbing annatto on the rind (before it is "washed"). Langres in the category of stinky cheeses with an intensely barnyard-y scent. It has a distinctive saltiness with an extremely fruity finish with a high acidity. The flavors of the barnyard permate the cheese and it tastes also strongly of warm cow with the fruitness and acidity underlying.

Great pairing: None found. (English Apple Pickle was close.)

Good pairing: Apricot Preserves, Fig Paste, Crostini, Green apple

Neutral pairing: Spätlese-level German Riesling, Plum Paste, Ribolla-blend (white wine), Pecans, Pugliese, La Panzanella Flatbread

Not-so-good pairing: Honey, Chutney, Peach butter, Rosé, Champagne, Sausage, Whole Grain Bread

Bad pairing: Corvina-blend (red wine)

(Click here to jump to the page
with the detailed descriptions
of the wines and accompaniments.)

Comte from Essex Street

Comté
from Essex Street Cheese Company, NYC
Fort Saint Antoine cave

Comté comes from the Jura mountains of France. The richness and complexity of this cheese comes from the milk of the cows which are pastured on alpine meadows. It's chewy, semi-hard, creamy pate is fruiter in the summer months, and nuttier in the winter months. A nose of wildflowers and a chewy texture with some light nuttiness. Slightly grainy in the mouth leaving butterfat behind. Very mild flavor but complex with hints of vegetables like cooked carrot. In this Comté I found more vegetable than fruit elements.

Great pairing: Fig and Plum Paste (Joanne also liked the Chutney)

Good pairing: Apricot Preserve, Peach Butter, Crostini, Ribolla-blend (white wine), Rosé, Champagne, (Joanne also thought the Chutney and Apple Pickle)

Neutral pairing: Spätlese-level German Riesling, sauvignon blanc (unoaked)

Not-so-good pairing: La Panzanella Flatbread, Corvina-blend (red wine)

Bad pairing: Green apple (Joanne also did not like the crostini, or the white wine or the apricot preserves)

Kuntener Reblochon

From Swiss Affineur Rolf Beeler. A Swiss cow’s milk (raw? thermalized?) Reblochon-style cheese with a washed rind. It’s in the mildly stinky category. Raymond Cheesemongers suggests to try it with a Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay and especially Blanc de Noir sparkling wines. It has a very pungent barnyard-y nose with undercurrent of wet earth and freshly plowed fields. The pate is very creamy but slightly firm (did not run at room temperature) with a tiny bit of bitterness and acidity. Very round ripe complex flavors with a good acidity.

Great pairing: La Panzanella Crackerbread (flatbread) (Joanne also that the Rose brought out honey in the cheese)

Good pairing: Rosé, Corvina-blend (red wine), Honey, Fig Paste, Apple Pickle

Neutral pairing: Spätlese-level German Riesling, Ribolla-blend (white wine), Green apple (3+), Plum Paste, Apricot Preserve, Champagne

Not-so-good pairing: Crostini

Bad pairing: (none found)

(Sausage, Chutney, Pugliese, Whole Grain Bread were not tested)