Without a doubt, Comté is one of France’s most iconic pressed cheeses. And quite often, we obsess over the age of the wheels of cheese rather than focus on what really matter: flavour, aroma and texture. In my books, the young Comté Bleu is grossly underrated. Read on to learn more about this cheese.
What is Comté Bleu?
Marcel Petite Comté Bleu is a semi-hard cheese selected by Marcel Petite Fromageries in the Jura region of France.
As a matter of fact, Comté is the most popular AOP cheese in France. Given the high demand, the majority of cheese makers in the 1960’s started implementing a very commercial approach.
How is Comté Bleu made?
However, Marcel Petite had a different idea. At Fort Saint Antoine, he established an underground cheese affinage facility where slow maturation would be key.
Furthermore, he would hand-select young wheels of cheese from small local dairies and grade them at different ages. Afterwards, he would release them for consumption under various labels depending on the maturation period.
Texture, aroma & flavour
His blue label cheese is a relatively young example at 9-12 months of maturation. Effectively, its texture is smoother and it has a higher moisture content than its more mature counterparts.
However, the range of subtle flavours is absolutely mind-blowing. It is herbaceous, nutty and slightly sweet with notes of honey.
Serving guide
Enjoy with a glass of Chardonnay or Viognier. Or you can truly celebrate the terroir of the Jura Mountains with a local specialty, Vin Jaune.
Thank you for reading
Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.
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