Comté "12 Months", cow's milk, Jura, France, 0.5lB

Comté “12 Months” is a classic expression of Comté AOP, the renowned raw cow’s milk cheese of France’s Jura Massif. At one year of age, Comté typically strikes a beautiful balance between the creamy, fruity character of younger wheels and the nutty, savory complexity that develops with extended maturation.

Comté is a raw-milk, cooked and pressed cheese (pâte pressée cuite) made exclusively from milk produced by Montbéliarde and French Simmental cows. The cows’ diet is closely regulated, with fresh pasture forming the basis during the grazing season and local hay during winter. The cheese is traditionally made at small village dairies known as fruitières, where milk from nearby farms is pooled each day. Approximately 400 liters of milk are required to produce a single wheel weighing around 40 kg. 

After production, the wheels move to specialist aging cellars, where affineurs mature them on spruce boards, regularly turning and rubbing them with salt. Although Comté AOP requires a minimum of four months' maturation, 12 months allows significantly greater aromatic development while maintaining a relatively supple texture