Comté "30 Months", cow's milk, Jura, France, 0.5lB

Comté “30 Months” is a deeply matured expression of Comté AOP, the renowned raw cow’s milk cheese of France’s Jura Massif. Sitting between the 24 and 36-month styles, a 30-month Comté offers significant concentration and complexity while often retaining more suppleness and sweetness than extremely long-aged examples.

Comté is a raw-milk, cooked and pressed cheese, traditionally produced in large wheels averaging around 40 kg. Only milk from Montbéliarde and French Simmental cows is permitted under the AOP regulations, and production takes place at village dairies known as fruitières.

After cheesemaking, the wheels are transferred to specialist affineurs for maturation. Comté legally requires at least four months of aging, but selected wheels can continue for 18, 24 months or considerably longer depending on their potential. During affinage, wheels are regularly turned and rubbed with salt, traditionally resting on locally sourced spruce boards. A 30-month wheel has therefore undergone unusually extended maturation, giving moisture time to diminish and flavors and textures to become increasingly concentrated.

Recommended pairings: Jura wines, White or red burgundy, Champagne, Chenin Blanc - particularly Savennière