Comté AOP cheese 12-18 months Marcel Petite, is a French cheese made in the area near the Loire and aged for more than 12 months in the vaults of Fort Saint Antoine (Doubs).
The house Marcel Petite refines Comté, the most popular hard cheese in France, slowly and at a low temperature so cheese lovers around the world can appreciate it at its best.
This French cheese made from raw cow's milk, which has been grazed in the rich pastures of the Jura or French Alps mountains, is made without any additives and matures for 18 months.
Its cooked, sweet, creamy and yellow paste has floral aromas and fruit flavor in summer, and nutty flavor in winter. During its maturation process, the rind turns golden yellow and hardens.
It is less spicy than its Swiss counterpart, Gruyere.
Pairs well with a wine from Arbois, whether white, rosé or red, Côte du Jura white or red, and finally other whites like Corton-Charlemagne or Graves supérieur.
Being a fruity cheese with low acidity, it is very versatile, both in salads, fondue, sandwiches or grated on any dish. It is also usually accompanied by nuts.
History of Comté AOP cheese Marcel Petite
In an old underground military fort of Saint Antoine, lies one of the largest natural maturation caves where the renowned Comtés from Marcel Petite rest: the Fort Saint Antoine.
The Fort Saint Antoine, located at an altitude of 1100 meters, was built around 1880 to protect the Franco-Swiss border. From 1966 it was transformed into a cellar by Marcel Petite, a Comté affineur.
In the 60s, he envisioned a slow maturation allowing nature, place, and climate to guide him. The Fort Saint Antoine offers the natural and specific conditions of temperature and humidity that enhance the development of complex flavors and the characteristic texture of the cheeses, turning the Comtés into works of art.
