La Couronne Comté

Cheese Atlas — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 05:07:15 +0000

Worthy of the Royal Crown

La Couronne Comté is a semi-hard cheese made in France’s Jura mountains by Marcel Petite. Will Studd has carefully selected the finest wheels from Fort St Antoine to export to the United States and Australia.

Undeniably, Comté is the cheese that first sparked Will’s cheese obsession. Overall, this cheese is a true celebration of the local terroir. Moreover, given the nature of the terrain and the variability of the climate, there are no two batches that are the same.

Matured at Fort St Antoine

Effectively, Marcel Petite mature all their Comté wheels in the humid underground cellars of Fort St Antoine. Indeed, this legendary maturation facility is located high in the Jura mountains near the border of France with Switzerland.

In total, wheels of cheese from some 35 artisanal cheesemakers find their way into this cellar. While the quality and flavour will vary between the producers, the main differentiator is actually the period of maturation.

At 18 months, La Couronne Comté has a rich concentrated nutty texture, elegant caramel sweetness, and lingering kaleidoscope of flavours.

How to pair La Couronne Comté

Celebrate the local terroir by pairing this stellar semi-hard with with Vin Jaune from the Jura. If you’re unable to source this local speciality, try with a glass of Champagne, Dry Sherry or Pinot Noir from Alsace.

The post La Couronne Comté appeared first on Cheese Atlas.

Comté Bleu

Cheese Atlas — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 11:27:37 +0000

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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