Comté is one of the great French cheeses. A cousin of the Swiss Gruyere, it has strict appellation requirements that sets Comté apart. 95% of milk used must come from Montbéliarde cows within 19 miles of the fruitière (a community based facility for pooling milk for making cheese). Wheels are rubbed in salt as they age. And Comté must be made in the Alpine regions of Doubs, Jura and Ain in France. In the 1960’s, Marcel Petite established a cheese aging facility in a former military fort - the Fort St. Antoine. Cool, damp and with moderate air flow, the fort is primarily underground and the perfect environment for aging close to 100,000 wheels of Comté produced in the surrounding area. Essex St. Cheese employee Jason Hinds and his London-based partner, Dominic Coyte, travel to Marcel Petite’s caves at Fort St. Antoine every six weeks to taste with the Chef du Cave, Claude Querry, in order to bring the best wheels at the peak age to the American market. These 75-pound wheels are something of beauty, with a golden paste flecked with tiny flecks of salty crystalline buildup that has developed over the 13 - 18 months of aging. Aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries shine over an undercurrent of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. Flavors are herbaceous, onion-y, nutty and fruity, all blended with the taste of high-quality cream. This cheese is perfect for snacking - try with cornichons, dijon mustard and a baguette.

Comte 13-18 Month

Size

75 lbs Whole
20 lbs Quarter Wheel

Cheese Type

Alpine

Texture

Firm

Milk

Cow

Milk Treatment

Raw

Rind

Natural

Coagulant

Traditional

Aging

13-18 months

Producer/Affineur

(Essex St. Cheese Co./Marcel Petite @ Fort of St. Antoine) Claude Querry

Location

Jura, France

Retail Pack