On my most recent trip to Vermont, Shawna saved me a few morsels of cheese in her refrigerator. I was kind enough to take them off her hands, and get an idea of what they're like. The Middlebury Co-op is actually very good for cheese sampling, because it has a sort of rummage-bin of small cheese morsels, each less than a dollar in price, for sampling. Here's this week's haul:
Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise
Fruity and intriguing, this cheese draws me in with a bouquet and nose reminiscent of wine. It starts like a classic French Comté fruité, nutty, then evolves n the tongue to fruity notes, with no bitterness, but a whole bouquet of flavor from the aging process. I am in love with this one.
Stowe sage cheddar
Overpoweringly sage-flavored, but in this case it's a good thing! This cheese reminds me of raclette in the broiler, straight from the fridge.
Blue Ledge Farm "La Luna"
This cheese is light and airy, despite its fat content and age. It's an aged goat cheese, but it doesn't evolve the complex flavor profile of most aged goat cheeses, because it's aged in wax rather than with a natural rind. It ends up having a rather strong, unilateral chèvre jeune flavor. Pleasant, but unremarkable.
Champlain Valley Triple Crème
A bit of an interesting cross between Chaource and Brie. More uniform than Chaource, but not quite creamy all the way through the pâte. The flavor is very milky, almost chalky, with a hint of bitter acidity at the finish. A cheese which evolves in the mouth. Baking and melting this cheese accentuated the sour acidity and caused it to be unpalatable, but it's a great table cheese, and I would be inclined to take it over imported brie any day. The acidic finish seems to be common among soft Vermont cheeses with natural rind, and I'm happy to see it come to the fore when it does.
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