COMTE... the unveiling of a piece of history!

The 100lb wheel rolled its way into liberty village early this week all the way from France. Made with pure unpastuerized milk from only the Franche-Comte region of western France (bordering with Switzerland). Roughly 40,000 tonnes of this beautiful cheese is produced annually making it the highest production cheese of all French aoc protected cheeses. Interesting fact: it takes up to 600 liters of milk to make one wheel of Comte (keep that in mind the next time you pick your milk up!) This cheese comes rich with history dating back to the early 12th century when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts of the Jura massif. The distance from towns of any size meant that any cheese they made would need to mature over a period of months. The milk was pooled between neighboring shepherds and the huge wheels would be stored until being taken to the market at the end of the season. This massive wheel that now braces our shelf here at The Village Cheesemonger has been carefully matured for 2 years by a master affinure to ensure you the customer get to enjoy its wonderfully complex flavor notes. It has a nice sharp taste with undertones of mushrooms and caramelized notes. This cheese is bound to be the talking point of any family Dinner or get together. check out this yummy reciepe for a Zucchini Gratin using COMTE: http://www.comte-usa.com/uploads/PDF/recipes/Gratin_Zucchini_Comte.pdf

Pairs wonderfully with dry arbois whites, vin jaune, champagne or Alsace Pinot noirs.