the Cheese board
This is what's in the store on a rotating basis. There are usually about eight cheeses on hand at one time and are always changing.
As my first love is Rhone and Burgundy (and I'm one the these regions' best consumers too) the cheeses
I choose typically pair best with Pinot Noir, Burgundy, wines of the Rhone and other such spicy reds.
These cheeses are also available for retail sale (to go).
At the store, cheese is $8 for a plate, including three different cheeses and crackers.
* Indicates that as of August 1, 2008 these are the cheeses now in the store.
Tomme de Savoie*
French, soft, mild, slightly stinky cheese that melts in your mouth. We love this slightly sinful cheese with a piece of charcuterie and a dab of Dijon. The wine: RED BURGUNDY!
Vella Dry Jack*
Aged for just about a year, coated with their signature cocoa/black pepper coating.
Wonderfully crumbly. Nutty and persistently long ending. Addiction is possible.
I think this is the best cheese to accompany Zinfandel.
Aged Dutch Gouda*
Aged for 18 months. I had my Aged Gouda epiphany just this summer. Golden hue, nutty & buttery flavor, texture that gets creamy as it melts in yo' mouth. We had this in our German Riesling tasting recently and it paired with these wines extremely well.
Idiazabal*
This Spanish Pyrenees sheep's milk cheese is lightly smoked and is delectable-one of the world's great cheeses. I serve it with ham in a panini and serve Ribera del Duero with it and have an Idiaza-Ball.
"Crater Lake Blue" by Rogue Valley Creamery*
Dryer style of Blue. Falls off the knife crumbly. With a bit of age, it mellows and gets a bit creamy. Salty but not too salty. Tad fruity. A delicious domestic blue cheese.
Quebec Vintage Cheddar*
2001 is the current vintage. Another staple in my Cheese Pantry.
Zingy, strong, but with appropriate restraint. It's one of the best I've had for a pretty good price. As you may expect, it's great with strong reds like Syrah and Zins (RHONE!!!)
As of August 1, 2008. Also Selling The following charcuterie
Serrano Ham*
Our 2008 Serrano just arrived on August 1.
12 month aged. Absolutely fabulous. Serving it on cheese plates here and also selling it to take home. Whole or thin sliced, whatever you wish.
Saucisson Sec*
Made by our neighbors and friends "The Fatted Calf"
Chorizo*
From the Rioja. We sell and sometimes serve the "Dulce" Chorizo. This has wonderful flavor and is not so spicy as to overwhelm most wine. This is best, we feel, with Rosé,
fruity whites, and medium to full bodied reds.
Not in stock now, but will surely come back, someday...
Beaufort
French Swiss Alps. Cow's Milk. Gruyere family. Much like Comte and Appenzeller: Nutty, semi-hard, slightly fruity. Great with Zinfandel, Syrah and other spicy reds. (Rhones!!!). Sorry...copied my Appenzeller notes. It IS quite similar.
Zamorano
Sheeps' milk cheese from Castile-Leon, Spain. It's an upgrade over Manchego. Firm and nutty with a distinct, tasty sheep milk flavor. Have with Pinot Gris and Verdelho.
"La Serena"
Ewes' milk, soft, stinky cheese from southwest Spain. It's like a poor man's Reblochon.
Have with Zinfandel, Tempranillo and other such spicy red wines.
Pecorino
Montepulciano, Italy, classic semi-hard (ours is) sheep's milk cheese. Salty, earthy, rustic, wonderful! So bold and yet very smooth. Great cheese that goes well with everything from German Riesling to classic Tuscan reds.
Cypress Grove "Mad River Roll"
The Humboldt County Goat Cheese specialist just came out with this aged cylinder of creamy pleasure. Appropriate tang, saltiness, freshness and complexity of flavors. Very versatile as most any white wine, Cal or import, will work with the Mad River Roll.
Perla Grigia
Italian cows' milk, aged one month, semi-soft, rubbed is ash with lots of black truffle in it.
I taste clove in there too, but the notes I read don't say this. Cheese itself is mild and the rind is rather truffle-y and definitely clove-y.
Pretty nice. Going to try it in a Panini.
Wine matches are medium bodied Zins and Northern Italian reds.
Blue d'Auvergne
France's standard-barer for quality, larger production blue cheese (in our opinion).
Firm, strong yet mellow, just salty enough. While many blue cheeses can overwhelm the wine, this matches well with even medium bodied wines.
San Simon
Lightly smoked, firm cows' milk cheese from Galicia Spain. A whole San Simon looks like a pear-shaped candle. The subtle smokiness is nice. Best with spicy reds (Garnacha, Zinfandel, Syrah, Tempranillo).
Appenzeller
Swiss Alps. Cow's Milk. Gruyere family. Much like Comte: Nutty, semi-hard, slightly fruity. Great with Zinfandel, Syrah and other spicy reds. (Rhones!!!)
Petit Agour, Ossau-Iraty
French Basque, sheeps' milk cheese from the appellation Ossau Iraty.
Quite hard, rind rubbed in pepper. Nutty, slightly tangy, and a little bit "animale."
This delicious cheese is the bomb with medium bodied, spicy red wines.
Vacherin
Swiss. One of the cheeses that makes real Fondue. Semi-soft, just right amount of stinkiness. Melts in the mouth. Gives a little sinful pleasure.
Istara - Ossau Iraty
This is the Abbaye de Belloc brand. French Basque sheep's milk cheese. Buttery, creamy, nutty, velvety. Sinfully delicious. Let it warm and melt in your mouth and deny its immense yumminess! Fruity, medium bodied red wines are really good with it.
Gruyère "Réserve"
Swiss Alps. Cow's Milk. Aged over 10 months. Semi-hard, or semi-soft, whichever you prefer. Sort of buttery, sort of nutty, right in the middle of the road power wise.
Roncal & Manchego
Currently have the Manchego in stock. Spanish Basque sheeps' milk cheese. Semi hard, slightly aged. Nutty, fruity, creamy.
Perfect with the super-flavored, kinda spicy, not tannic reds.
St. Jorge by Joe Matos Cheese Factory
Joe Matos, from the Azores Islands (Portugal), makes this one cheese, St. Jorge. As you might expect, this is a typical cheese one will find from the Azores. Cow's milk, aged over 60 days. Tastes somewhere in between a Cheddar and a Jack. Medium flavor, quite nutty, is nicely rich and creamy as it melts in your mouth.
Rosso Maccagno
A Piedmont cow's milk cheese. Aged 1 to 3 months in underground cellars. Has a thick, unedible rind and a strong hay/mushroom aroma. Spongy texture and pungent in a good way. Real mushroomy. This is a new, pleasant discovery for us. Good for cooking, good by itself. Naturally, a fine match with the wines of Piedmont.
Rocamadour
This Chevre (goat cheese from Loire Valley) comes in cute, tiny disks. Eat it younger or older. It has a different personality, but either way it is famous and exquisite.
A moelleux Vouvray is a fun match.
Petit Basque
This Semi-Hard sheep’s milk cheese from France’s Basque region is moist, tender and has an unbelievable nutty, buttery flavor. Everybody digs the Petit Basque.
Camembert "Le Chatelain"
Good ol' washed rind, nicely smelly feet Camembert. Earthy mushrooms, super oozy and creamy when well aged. When I want a good stinky cheese for a good price, this is it!
Danish Blue
A delicious, not-too-pricey Blue Cheese. Crumbly, then melts as it warms. Very versatile. Not terribly powerful, so versatile. Do Sauvignon Blanc, do Cabernet Sauvignon, do everything in between.
Fontina d'Aosta
From the Val d'Aosta in the northern reaches of Italy. Cows' milk. Earth, herbal, nutty, smooth. Gets creamy in the mouth as it warms and melts. Fontina is a sublime match with the big Piedmont reds: Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara.
Our big Napa reds ain't too shabby with it, either.
Mahón
Cow's milk cheese from the island of Minorca (part of Spain-tiny island in the Mediterranean). Medium-soft cheese, slightly fruity and nutty. Boasts a pleasing little sweetness. This is a classic Tapas cheese that's lovely with Spanish olives,
sardines and strong wine.
Pitxun
Spanish Basque sheeps' milk cheese. Very hard and aged-like Italy's Pecorino.
Classic combination would be mature reds. I also enjoy moderately sweet after-dinner wines.
Pilota
Combination of sheep & cow milk from the French Basque Country.
Very good "everyday" cheese. Creamy, buttery, salty, kinda trashy.
It's a really good cheese to eat with spicy, jammy red wines.
Raclette
The classic swiss cheese, best melted and served with little boiled potatoes, cornichons and thin sliced ham (Serrano perhaps)? I'm thinking a Raclette and crisp Savoie white feast. At home, or at the store, not sure where yet.
Mimolette (aged 12 months)
Originally made in Holland, now made in Flanders, France (way North). Brilliant orange-brown color, very nutty flavor. Looks really cool. Like aged Gouda, I find this cheese very versatile with wines - from crisp & racy whites to deep & spicy reds. Good by itself too.
Vella Raw Cheddar
Probably the best California Cheddar made. Classic sharpness and fine depth of flavor.
Comte
French Alps. Cow's Milk. Gruyere family. Nutty. Semi-hard. Slightly fruity. Great with Zinfandel, Syrah and other spicy reds. (Rhones!!!)
Chimay "Grand Cru"
From Belgium, traditionally made by monks. Cow's milk, semi-soft, washed rind.
Chevre, washed rind, Loire Valley
Don't have a sexy name to go with this cheese. It's Loire Valley goat cheese, from the western Loire town of Nantes, I am told. It's a washed rind cheese, and seems to be aged around six months. It's nice and firm with the slightest nutty quality. I find this cheese to be very versatile. Best pairings are to be expected: Sauvignon Blanc and such crisp & pure whites are dynamite with this cheese.
Cypress Grove "Mt. McKinley"
Cypress Grove's aged, ash-covered goat cheese. Better to take home and use with dinner then on a cheese plate I think. One customer (and cheesemonger) suggests grating it on a beet & arugula salad. Very good cheese. Maybe I'll bring some beets to work.
Cypress Grove "Mini Fog"
This is the mini version of their "Humboldt Fog," a lightly blue goat's milk cheese. Ash covered, slightly aged. Finest of cheeses to enjoy with a crisp, cold half bottle of white wine, few crackers, and a friend here at BRW.
Bleu des Basque
Blue Sheep's Milk Cheese from The Pyrenees. Appropriately salty, pungent and strong. Its wonderfulness in part because of its creaminess as it melts in your mouth. Cabernet, Syrah and like strong reds recommended with it.
Aussie Smoked Cheddar
Makes a tasty cheeseburger.
Petit Camembert - Isigny Ste. Mère
From Normandy, France. Quite smelly. Bit of the smelly foot thing.
It is rather strong and ready to eat.
Brin d'Amour
From Corsica. Sheep's milk, slightly aged. Rolled in herbs. Really good with medium bodied wines with strong tannins like Sangiovese and some Mourvedre wines.
Point Reyes Blue Cheese
From California' Pacific Coast. Chalky, milder blue flavor. I like to cut it with sour cream, salt & pepper and that's it. Makes a great spread this way.
I find it best with rich white wines.
Epoisses
The Burgundy specialty. At its best, it is probably the best cheese there is IF you like really good stinky, oozy cheese. I have here Epoisses from Berthaut, the best of the well-known producers. I have half-pound disks available, to go or to enjoy here, for $15 each. But they're very cold right now...you should call to tell me you're coming in for Epoisses so that I warm it for you.
Muenster
From Alsace. Cow's milk. It's got the nice funk going on! Being from Alsace, Muenster is traditionally served with oily, rich whites like Rieslings and Gewurztriner. Non-oaked & rich Chardonnays as well as Viogniers would match great as well.
King Island Dairy "Roaring Forties Blue"
Tazmanian Blue Cheese. Rather sinfully good I feel. Mild blue flavor, very rich and creamy and I think it's very fruity: apricot, cherry or something. Not any particular fruit I guess. Anyway, everybody L-O-V-E's it. I think it's a great Zin wine. The guys here were also thinking it would be excellent with sweet Pedro Ximenez from
Montilla Moriles (like sherry).
