Saint-nectaire

The cheese

Born in the volcanic pastures of the Sancy mountains in Auvergne, AOP Saint-Nectaire is a semi-soft pressed cheese aged on rye straw. The milk, raw or pasteurized (often raw for farmhouse versions), comes from Salers, Ferrandaise or Montbéliarde cows grazing high-altitude grasslands. Four to eight weeks of ageing on rye mats develops a natural grey-to-red rind mottled with coloured moulds that gives the cheese its recognisable rustic look. The supple, melting paste, with mushroom, damp cellar, hazelnut and sometimes undergrowth aromas, offers remarkable length. Farmhouse Saint-Nectaire (green casein label) differs from dairy (oval label). Ideal with a Saint-Pourçain, Marcillac or red Côtes d'Auvergne.