Heaven made in Cheese

29 Jul 2018:

Champagne and Langres - heaven made in cheese!

It was the perfect occasion to share a beautifully aged Langres, with a few good friends and a bottle of 1996 Dom Pérignon. (Well, we actually needed two bottles so that we could have spare some for pouring into the cheese!)

Langres is a soft washed rind full-fat cow's milk cheese, with a wrinkly golden yellow to orange rind, sometimes covered with white down and an ivory paste. The 18th century cheese owes its name to the town of Langres, a historic fortified town in the Haute-Marne region of Champagne that boasts 3.5 km of remparts offering strategic views of the Marne Valley and beyond to the Vosges Mountains, as well as 12 towers and 7 gates. The Langres cheese is easily recognised by a concave hollow, known as the "fountain" (or "la fontaine"), reminiscent of the fortified remparts of its namesake town. This concave feature which becomes more pronounced with age, is due to the flattened cone-shaped terracotta moulds (called "fromottes") used in the making of the cheese and the fact that the cheese is not turned during its ageing process. Once turned out, the cheese is dried on platane leaves in wicker cages. The ageing process usually lasts a minimum of 3-4 weeks (usually longer, and total time depending on the size). Langres comes in 3 sizes: small (150-250 g), medium (280-350g) and large (800-1300g). The colour is due to the washing with brine and the natural annatto giving the cheese its distinctive colour. Marc de Champagne is sometimes added to the washing process to intensify the flavours.

The rind is sticky to the touch, with a brilliant sheen to its coat. It has an intense pungency on the nose, and on the palate, the dense texture passes from firm and chalky/grainy to a velvety soft creaminess that melts in your mouth, with extended ageing. The mildly salted umami-accented flavours remind one of fermented soya beans, dried citrus peel, and a farmyard note. The finish is long. It is no surprise that it is often referred to as the cousin of Epoisses.

The hearty gourmands would pour Marc de Champagne into the hollow. In my version last night, I made a cross in the top of the cheese, poured our champagne into the hollow until it overflows. I then left it to let the cheese soak up the champagne for almost an hour and a half before I served it. I dug a well into the cheese prior to serving, mixed around the cheese and champagne into a creamy, if slightly messy-looking mixture and served. The result was stunning - the champagne characters of mushroom, hazelnuts and caramelised apple notes complemented the complexity, and lent just a touch of acidity (see below wine note) to balance the creaminess of the cheese. It was a heavenly "mess"!

Heavenly "mess"!

On my cheese board last night (see below), I also served a Rove des Garrigues, one of my favourite goat cheeses from France. The local breed of Rove goats in the Provence/Midi-Pyrénées roam the garrigue-grown land and the aromas of the wild flora and herbs (wild thyme, juniper, wild rosemary, broom) find their way into the organoleptic profile of this wonderful fresh goat cheese. Serving it at its prime, this little round ball of cheese had a slightly wrinkly cream-coloured coat that was almost lifting from the soft white paste when cut. It had a refreshing citrus lactic tang, and a delicate herbal note, with a creamy texture that lingered most delicately. A tiny cheese that packs a lot in!

The cheese board with Tomme aux fleurs, Beaufort Chalet d'Alpage, Reblochon, Brie de Meaux, Langres, Lavort, Le Parthenay and Rove des Garrigues.

Langres and Champagne, a heavenly pairing!

As for the wines of the night, here are my short tasting notes:

1996 Dom Perignon: I would have liked this to be more zingy, more fresh.  It was a beautifully matured champagne, with a creamy mousse, nuances of mushroom, hazelnut, honey, caramelised apple shortbread notes, but to me, it lacked energy and tasted a bit flat and unexciting. However, I only tried one of the two bottles.  According to Richard who tasted from both, both bottles were very similar. 16.5/20

2010 Mount Mary Triolet: A blend of around 75% Sauvignon Blanc, with some 20% of Semillon and some Muscadelle from Yarra Valley.  It was a harmonious wine with measured acidity, notes of honey, toast and straw, with a medium length finish. 17.5/20

1982 Grand Puy Lacoste (in magnum): A very attractive bouquet of cedar, leather and tobacco, with just a hint of graphite and herbaceous note. It was elegantly structured, with pleasant acidity and a long finish. Drinking at its peak now, but would hold for another 8-10 years in large formats. 18/20

1982 Mouton Rothschild (in magnum): A more muscular version from the 1982 vintage, with smokey, dried blackberry, cassis, and black tea notes, with just a hint of leather.  It took a while to unfold in the glass and it revealed a robust structure, with ripe velvety tannins, and a soft acidity. The finish was long.  This was a classy claret still very much in its prime and would probably take at least 5-8 years to reveal its best, depending on the format.  19.5/20

2004 Climens: I did not taste this. I was told it was delightfully fresh and not a waste at all to taste it in its youthful stage.

An Epic Cheese, Food and Wine Pairing Evening

25 April 2018

This started off as a somewhat ambitious attempt to stage a multi-course cheese and wine pairing, alongside a wine and food pairing for each course. A few friends volunteered to join me on this educational “expedition”.  To ensure that we have a fresh palate to vote on the best cheese and wine pairing, I insisted on tasting the cheese first before the pairing dish for each course. 

The Wine Selection

The Cheese Selection

Course 1
The first course was paired by a champagne:
2002 Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons: This bottle was much fresher than the last 2 bottles we tried from the same case. This was classy Blanc de Blancs, with the immediate attack of ripe fruit notes (apple compote and pear), overlaid with buttered toast and brioche notes, leading to distinct mineral tones on the mid-palate, with just a hint of field mushroom character. Creamy texture, full-bodied, this was an opulent and classy wine with crystal definition and a persistent finish. 95/100

Cheese pairing:
We paired this with Brie de Melun (Seine et Marne, cow). This soft bloomy rind cow-milk cheese was intensely flavoured, with earthy aromas from the rind. The soft and creamy texture pâte showed marked saltiness and a pronounced and persistent mushroom character.

The chiselled acidity of the champagne was able to cut through the creaminess, cleansing the palate with the fine bubbles. The savoury and mushroom character of the cheese paired quite well with the mature character of the champagne. Given the unexpected freshness of this bottle, next time I would have paired this cheese with a more mature example (a 1995 Krug?).

Food pairing: I paired the champagne with the classic smoked salmon on blinis, with a lemon-flavoured crème fraiche. The fresh acidity from the lemon balanced the richness of the smoked salmon. The toasted and citrus character of the champagne complemented the flavours very well.

Course 2

The next course was paired with a set of wines based on Sauvignon Blanc:
2008 Silex, Didier Dagueneau: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. A rich and powerful wine, layered with overt notes of tropical and green fruit, mango and gooseberry, lifted with refreshing acidity, delivering a remarkable balance and long persistent finish. A Sauvignon Blanc not like others, very distinct. 94/100

2011 Aile d’Argent: A blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle. The Semillon seemed to have taken over the characters of this wine. The bouquet was floral, peach, pear, with honey and nutty nuances. On the palate, it tasted phenolic, leaving a slightly bitter note at the finish. A rich and opulent wine, balanced but somehow lacking in precision to rank it amongst the finest from Bordeaux. 90/100

Cheese pairing:
I served two goat cheeses: Mothais sur Feuille (Deux Sèvres, goat) and Selles sur Cher (Touraine, goat). Here, we agreed that the pairing was best when we paired the cheese and wine from the same region.

The Selles sur Cher with the firm texture which melted in the mouth, and the interplay of sweet, salty and citrus tangy notes, paired very well with the Silex.

The Mothais sur Feuille with its creamy, oozing texture, and the more pronounced salty and nutty character, found a better match with the Aile d’Argent.

Food pairing:
The vote was unianimous for the Silex when it came to pairing with the dish: Grilled asparagus with Iberico ham, and lemony crème fraiche.

Course 3

The third course was paired first with a pair of Syrah-based wines, followed by a Mediterranean style wine.
2000 Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 7% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Brune. The structure was initially tight and masculine, displaying ripe fine tannins and lifted with marked acidity. With aeration, it opened up to display a rich bouquet layered with notes of dark chocolate, clove spice, cassis, dates and figs. A flamboyant wine, made with precision. Long persistent finish. Drinking beautifully now, and over next 8–10+ years. 96/100

2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 12% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Blonde. This wine was at once more open and evolved than the La Turque. It was sensual aromatically and texturally, diplaying an elegant and fine-chiselled poise. The softer acidity was balanced by refined tannic structure. The bouquet was blackberry, plum, mocha and cardamom spice. An absolute beauty now, drinking so well, and will continue to do so over next 8-10 years. 95/100

1999 Château Musar: a blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon, each a third. Fermented in cement tanks with extended maceration, followed by a year ageing in French oak. There was the hallmark bretty gamey note, immediately followed by pronounced sauvage character of wild herbs, almost like the garrigue, and notes of prunes and plum. Good lifting acidity provided great balance to this opulent wine, with sinewy muscles. A very elegant wine. Drinking very well now and over the next 6-8+ years. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
24-month Laguiole (Aveyron, cow): the saltiness of the Laguiole and the spicy tangy and savoury notes from the extra aging worked reasonably well with the Syrahs, but I think these two Syrahs were too powerful for the Laguiole. I would pair this with a Saint Joseph or a Côtes du Rhône next time.

Mimolette Extra Vielle (Nord Pas de Calais, cow): Uncooked, pressed cow-milk cheese. Salty and savoury, with caramelised notes. The savoury character worked well with the Syrahs, and the fruitiness of the La Turque in particular went well to complement the salty character.

Ossau Iraty au Piment (Pays Basque, sheep): this pairing had the most votes. This uncooked pressed semi-hard sheep milk cheese from the Pays Basque had a slightly grainy texture, creamy and buttery in flavour, with herbaceous, nutty, floral and spicy notes. This paired very well with both Syrahs, but possibly even better with the La Mouline.

We experimented with Livarot (Normandy, cow) too. The washed rind was not too disastrous for the Syrahs – in that the wine did not taste bitter with the cheese. (I asked our friends to try both, with or without the rind.) The pungent note from the washed rind possibly worked much better with the characterful Musar.

Food pairing: I paired these wines with a 6-hour lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas and tomato, served with steamed ratte potatoes and Savoy cabbage. A very fine food and wine pairing, especially with the Musar.

Course 4

Final course was paired with a dessert wine.
1995 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel: A golden hue. Pronounced acidity balancing the luscious sweetness. Complex notes of apricot, honey, beeswax, nuts and rye, with a slight smokey nuance. Delightfully refreshing and finishes long. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
I paired this with two different blue cheeses, just to demonstrate a bit of diversity amongst the blues.
Fourme d’Ambert (Auvergne, cow): Rich, creamy, with an open texture. Salty, with delicate notes from the blue mould, complementing the buttery and creamy notes. This paired brilliantly with the SGN.

Bleu de Gex (Jura, cow): A drier style of blue cheese, with semi-firm texture, dense and close, lightly salted, spicy and pepper nuances balancing the buttery taste, finishing with a slight bitter note. This actually paired rather well with the Syrahs.

Food pairing:
It had been an epic journey…so we just settled for a sliver of kueh lapis cake, the richness of which was washed down nicely with the acidity from the SGN.

Here's a summary:

Wine	Cheese/Dish
Champagne: Pierre Péters Les Chétillons, Le Mesnil, 2002	Brie de Melun (cow) Smoked salmon blinis
Sauvignon Blanc-based: Silex, Didier Dagueneau, 2008 Aile d’Argent, 2011	Mothais sur Feuille (goat)/Selles sur Cher (goat) Grilled asparagus, Iberico ham, lemon crème fraiche
Syrah-based: Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal, 2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal, 2000 Château Musar, 1999	24-month Laguiole (cow)/ Mimolette Extra Vieille, 24 months (cow)/ Ossau Iraty au Piment (sheep) Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas, potato and Savoy cabbage
Sweet Wine: Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel, 1995	Fourme d’Ambert (cow)/Bleu de Gex (cow) Kueh lapis cake