Since last month’s article, I have found myself falling in and out of love again and again. Cheese and wine can have that affect on my heart, so there are only two or so cheeses that remain a constant at L’Albatros. Cheeses that are so exquisite and consistent, they remind us that stability is quite attractive. They are true loves-the marrying types. Always soothing and perfect to come home to after a long day on the job.
There are, however, other kinds of cheeses: the flings. Those that excite and arouse the palate to a higher level and have an unimaginable hold on the senses. Often my affection changes and the affair cools off. They leave the cheese board but are always remembered; and as any great romance is rekindled, so does the cheese return to the board when the moment is just right. These ‘’spring flings’’ are the cheeses I am delighted to share.
Langres
You should never judge a book by its cover. At first glance, Langres, a thermalized cow’s milk cheese from the town of Langres within the province of Champagne, looks rather inedible, orange and coral like. It is cylindrical and slightly concave at the top, (where the local tradition calls for a bit of Champagne to be poured) standing approximately 3 inches, between 1-2 inches wide and weighing roughly 6 ounces.
Never has the expression ‘it’s not the size that counts’ made more sense until this moment. Despite its meager stature, you’ll find Langres has quite a body – and knows how to work it. Its beautiful orange color comes from the annatto-colored Marc de Champagne brine it is washed in. Langres is rich yet never coy, succulent and balanced with a fairly long finish. When young, it is buttery with a pleasant acidity in the mid-palate to remind you that it is fermented milk and not churned cream. When old, it can be quite intense.
While its peculiar orange, coral-like rind adds less flavor then one would assume, it certainly adds a welcomed velvety texture to your mouth. It is a soft cheese, somewhat chalky in the center, but runny beneath the rind when ripe. In fact, if cut in half when very ripe it slips out from the rind, as if coming undressed, to reveal its satiny body.
It goes without saying that the wine of choice is Champagne, a brut style works quite well. There are two I recommend highly. The first is Veuve Clicquot’s “Yellow Label” with its pinot noir–driven style. It has a fruity, playful flavor great for Langres' silky, butter quality. The second (and my favorite) is Chartogne-Taillet’s Cuvee Sainte-Anne, a small grower-producer who makes a fine Champagne with a full, lingering flavor similar to that of baked apples and a musty, cocoa mid-palate that tends to linger for a bit. This wine complements and holds Langres, delivering richness on richness. The classic brioche scent and flavor of Champagne adds a tertiary layer to the pairing by strumming that lactic flavor of the cheese to sleep. It is something to remember.
Notes on Langres:
- Location: Langres, Champagne-Ardenne, France (AOC 1975)
- Milk: Thermalized Cow’s
- Age: 4 weeks. It is at its best towards the end of spring and beginning of summer
- Producer(s): Chalancey
Similar Cheeses: Try to find the original.
Wine Pairing: Chartogne-Taillet, Cuvee Sainte-Anne, Non Vintage. Try also Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin “Yellow Label”, Non Vintage. If in a pinch, substitute a cava from Spain or a nice brut sparkler from Napa Valley's Schramsberg Vineyards.
Final note: There is also a larger size of Langres, if desired, weighing about a pound and a half. I find the flavor to not be as intense but still irresistible.
Square Cheese
The grace of nature surrounds this cheese. It slowly and very carefully intertwines all the senses, revealing moments, simple ones, which make you fall deeper in love. It is called Square Cheese and is from the countryside of Vermont in the town of West Cornwall, and it's made by two individuals: Michael Lee and Emily Sunderman.
As the name suggests, it is in fact square, made so by Ms. Sunderman’s steady hand as she stitches square cheese cloth bags for the curd to settle into. Once handleable, the cheese is washed in brine and aged in the cellars at Twig Farm. The cheese maker Michael Lee has a ‘touch’ with this cheese that allows the goat's milk to relax and welcome the flavor of the aging process. The cheese is made from the raw milk of roughly thirty goats from three different breeds (Alpine, Nubian and Saanens) and aged for 80 days. When this cheese is on, it's special. It has the scent of a cool spring evening hike in the woods of Vermont – slightly damp, but brisk and pure. Never has a cheese spoken to me the way Square Cheese does.
It has the looks of a large stone: gray, rough and worn with flecks of mold. The cheese is firm, and once cut, you can sense the land on which these goats roam. The taste is mild, but this is where the attraction lies. It is obviously goat’s milk, with a slight ‘bucky’ flavor, but it is coupled with an earthiness that imparts itself through the cheese without even eating the rind. The texture is firm, but not dense, and tender enough to nibble. The rind adds a complexity to the flavor as well as the texture. It's "dirty" - I liken it to damp leaves and mud. The rind gives this cheese legs – long ones that drive the palate wild for something as rustic, but young and fruity.
Across the United States in Napa, California, we find Lang & Reed Wine Co. Here, another couple, Tracy and John Skupny, are producing a wine called North Coast. It is 100 percent cabernet franc and most of the fruit is harvested from Lake County, with a select amount coming from vineyards in Oakville.
The wine has characteristics of cabernet franc from Chinon or Bourgueil: ripe raspberry, earthy and leaf-like with a touch of that classic pencil-shavings scent. However, being from the warmer climate of California, it has a punch of fruit; dark black cherry and plum delivered in a pleasantly dense way that makes this wine amazing. This bottle contains nuances that develop from only the hands of an epicurean. The cabernet franc’s dirty leather–like character complement the pleasant ‘bucky’ flavor of square wheel, while Napa’s deep red fruit massages the unforgettable, damp, cave–flavored rind.
Notes on Square Cheese:
- Location: West Cornwall, Vermont
- Milk: Raw Goat’s milk
- Age: 65-80 days.
- Producer: Twig Farm
Similar Cheeses: There is a definite uniqueness to Square Cheese, but there is a cheese called Tomme de la Chataigneraie with a softer but similar subtle ‘bucky’ flavor, with a touch of earth.
Wine Pairing: Lang & Reed, Cabernet Franc, “North Coast”, California, 2008. Other wines that will suffice would be Palazzo Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley. Chappellet ‘Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard”, Napa Valley or try the classic, Chinon, producers such as Couly-Dutheil (Clos de l’echo) or Domaine du Roncee work well.
Final notes: My favorite time to purchase this cheese is in the fall, when 80 days earlier in the summer these goats are primarily eating weeds like dandelion and chicory. Square Cheese is also called North Stone, if purchased through Formaggio Kitchen.
Queso Azul de Valdeon
This sturdy cheese from northern Spain has a reputation that precedes it. It is one of only three blues in Spain that bears the name of the region (Valdeon), where it is from (Cabrales from Asturias and El Picon Bejos Treviso from Cantabria are the other two). When ripe, it is balanced; when unripe, it is spicy and aggressive. Like a heavyweight champion takes to his robe, so does Valdeon. It often wears Sycamore or Oak leaves so as not to reveal what lurks inside.
Its recipe for success varies. In this case, it is predominantly pasteurized cow’s milk with bit of goat’s milk. Some Valdeon is also blended with sheep’s milk. It is aged a minimum of two months with a cave regimen fit for a champion. Aged in up to four different caves with different amounts of humidity and mold in the air, this process allows each producer to use the environment like a chef uses seasoning. The aging process, coupled with the leaf wrapping, develops different bacteria, consequently adding more flavor and complexity to the cheese.
The flavors of Valdeon are strong, but not like Cabrales. There is the spice of blue, though not persistent, and there is a subtle sweetness to the cheese as penicillin and milk meet. The cheese often crumbles easily with the abundance of blue veins, but when ripe, and aged properly, there is bit of a ‘cushion’ to the texture.The experience when eating Valdeon occurs in almost three separate stages. It sends a shock to the senses at first, surprising and unusual, but by mid-palate, it subsides and the spicy fruit in this cheese is present. The finish leaves an electricity on the tip of your tongue.
That charming wine to partner with such a forceful cheese is Sandeman’s ‘Royal Ambrosante’ V.O.S Pedro Ximenez Sherry. The wine is aged twenty years in a solera system that began in 1894. It is extraordinarily rich, complex and raisin-y,with undertones of dense ripe fruit. It's timeless, nutty, dried fig and maple syrup–like sweetness is right for many blues.
What I find to be exceptional in this pairing is the persistence of sweet Sherry and spiced Valdeon, working together, asserting strength from the blue complementing the wine's sweetness, while a moment later, the Sherry adjusts and that nuttiness dominates long enough that every last urge of Valdeon’s character has been satisfied. My only recommendation now would be a cigar.
Notes on Queso Azul de Valdeon
- Location: Valdeon (Castilla y Leon), Spain
- Milk: Pasteurized cow and goat’s milk.
- Age: Around 3 months, give or take a few weeks.
- Producer: It is distributed by Mitica whose producers are not disclosed.
Similar Cheeses: Cabrales, El Picon Bejos Treviso or Monje.
Wine Pairing: Sandeman ‘Royal Ambrosante’ V.O.S Pedro Ximenez Sherry. Try also Pedro Ximenez from Domecq, their VQRS ‘’Venerable’’ Sherry. Also, Alvear ‘Solera 1927’ from Montilla-Moriles. These are both exceptional.
Final notes: There are many blues that are notorious for having character and dominating the senses, which makes it perfect for the end of a cheese plate or used as vessel for preserves. If ever a blue cheese is extremely strong, do as the French: butter some bread then set the blue cheese on top and voila! It will take the edge off (and expand your waistline).
All cheeses available at L'Albatros Brassiere + Bar. Also, be sure to ask for these cheeses at your favorite cheese shop.
