FOURME DE MONTBRISON AOP

Today, our cheese is still made using traditional methods by the Hautes Chaumes cheese dairy, in the heart of the Forez mountains, in Sauvain. It is made from milk collected from several farms selected for the consistency and quality of their production. The aging begins in the cellars of the Massif de Chalmazel, a place where temperature and humidity create a stable environment, conducive to a slow and controlled maturation.

The milk collected daily is transformed into curds, then cut and gently stirred to obtain small, regular grains. The resulting curd is then drained. The next step is unique for a blue-veined cheese: the curd is kneaded and then salted before being placed in a mold so that the cheese takes its final shape. After a few turns, the cheeses are placed in wooden troughs, where they rest for a week. They are turned regularly, with precision, to ensure even maturation.

Gradually, the crust changes color. The cheeses are then pierced to allow air to circulate and the blue to develop. They continue to mature in humid cellars, where the blue marbling that gives them their character slowly develops.

Over time, the texture softens, the aromas balance out, and the cheese gains depth, all while remaining fine and elegant.

This cheese, dense with a subtle blue, is distinctly different from Fourme d'Ambert, its cousin. Where Ambert favors sweetness and creaminess, Montbrison cheese expresses a firmer paste, a structured texture, and a progressive flavor, built over time.

On the palate, the Montbrison cheese is often different from its cousin, the Ambert cheese: denser, drier, with a subtle taste, oriented toward length rather than power. Its flavor is expressed without excess, in a sought-after balance between saltiness, texture, and lactic notes. The fourme is enjoyed at room temperature, on platters, as an appetizer, or in a cuisine where nuance is sought: in thin slices, in a sauce, or simply with neutral bread.