It is a simple place, the Rhône Alps. I immediately feel that with each sip of wine or nibble of cheese. This love affair re-ignites as soon as either touches my lips. It is like a young lady’s neck lightly scented with perfume – it makes me crave more. There is an intimacy with the land, driven by the solitude of steep mountains offering the purest expression of terrior in both food and drink. And where the region lays flat, there is little interruption between the land and table.
From Lyon to Annecy and south to Avignon is a gastronomical mecca, where myths are reborn, history rekindled and pride resides. The region is the land of butter, Bresse chickens, Charolais beef and famous wines. It is home to legendary Fernand Point, and La Pyramide and Paul Bocuse. In the Rhône, the table is a friendly place surrounded by wine.
Here, I attempt to capture the region's soul with cheese and wine pairings recently presented in a tasting held at L’Albatros.
Saint Marcellin
Few people have been lost in an undergrowth of boxwood and confronted by a hungry bear. This happened to a boy who later became King Louis XI. The year was 1445, and while hunting in the Vercors, the soon-to-be king found himself lost in the woods and in a tight spot. After praying and screaming out for help, two woodsmen, Richaud and Bouillane, rescued the young dauphin and brought him back to their home and fed him. In the small town of St. Marcellin, the men gave him a local cheese. The dauphin loved the cheese so much he forever popularized it. The rest is history – literally.
The cheese is quite amazing especially when ripe. Its white and wavy appearance is a result of geotrichum mold that when pierced gives way to its opulent, loose cream, which is spoonable with just about anything, including fingertips. Conveniently, the cheese is served in a small crock so it does not run, making it quite simple to heat if desired. The cheese coats the entire palate at once; there is no need to chew, unless of course one feels like putting the rind gently between the teeth. The scent of rich cow’s milk followed by a bit of wet straw work together, deeply arousing the senses. The palate is moistened with the cheese's creaminess, followed by a slight barnyard-y yeastiness and fresh mushroom flavor, should you get the rind. On the second bite, I suggest a sip of Crémant de Die. [photo by Renée S.]
Crémant de Die is a sparkling wine from the town of Die at the base of the Vercors, about 30 miles from St. Marcellin. The producer Poulet et Fils uses 100 percent clariette grapes following the methode Champenoise. Allowing the wine to spend nine months on the lees creates the depth needed to pair with St. Marcellin. The wine is mildly aromatic with hints of lemon, golden delicious apples and brioche. On the palate, the attack is bright and acidic with a mid-palate of musty fruit. It is fuller than the nose suggests, with a ripe golden delicious roundness.
The mouthfeel of the cheese is interrupted by the texture of tiny bubbles from the crémant, a feeling your mouth won’t soon forget. The fat of the cheese is sliced by the acidity, and a rush to wrap the yeastiness around one another happens without notice. A bit of rind sets the pairing slightly off course, but is brought back only by the round fruit of the clariette. As soon as the barnyard flavor of St. Marcellin meets the musty quality of the wine the moment slows, and the cheese persists only moments longer, leaving a pleasantly earthy fruit flavor to ponder.
Notes on St. Marcellin:
- Region: Isere department of the Rhône, from the town of St. Marcellin.
- Type of milk: Cow’s (pasteurized)
- Age: 5 ½ weeks
- Producer: Curtet
- Similar Cheeses: Saint Felicien
- Wine Pairing: Poulet et Fils, Crémant de Die, Brut, Die, France, NV
- Similar Wines: Blanquette de Limoux, Blanc de Blanc Champagnes
Final Note: The trick with this pairing is to get the St. Marcellin as soon as it becomes ripe, which is a short window. When very ripe, the cheese becomes pungent, full-on earthy and is suited more for a lighter red, such as Beaujolais or Côtes du Rhône. St. Marcellin is fairly consistent year round, but best in summer and autumn. Continued on page two...
