The Beauty in the Ugly

Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage September 2023

Limited quantities available while stock lasts in the Cheeseroom at La Fromagerie Marylebone 
For a bespoke mail-order email marylebone@lafromagerie.co.uk


22 months might not seem a notable age for a cooked and pressed cheese like Beaufort, especially when compared to its counterparts like Comté, Gruyère and even Parmigiano Reggiano, which can be taken to 48 months or more, but it is right at the limit of how far the affinage of Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage can be taken.
Wheels of this, our signature cheese, are made with the lightest possible hand to make the most of the subtleties of the high altitude raw milk produced in the mountains of Hautes Savoie in the June to October window. The curds are cooked at significantly lower temperature than is typically used to produce alpine hard cheeses like Comté, hence Beaufort’s reputation for subtlety. Historically it is referred as ‘the prince of Gruyères’.
This method results in delicate aromas and flavours but comes with the added challenge for the affineur of a more delicate physical structure to the paste. This simultaneously imposing but fragile cheese has a tendency to crack both internally and on the rind, which only becomes more likely as the cheese ages and the paste dries. The risk is a cracked and unusable cheese as the age creeps towards 2 years, not to mention the equally unthinkable outcome of a salty harsh cheese with none of the beauty of its youth. As such, we tend to sell these cheeses in the 12-18 month range, choosing to highlight the younger cheeses’ creaminess and subtle but complex fragrance of the mountain pastures. We have managed to get hold of 2 wheels of comparatively super aged Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage where the cheese has remained in one piece, though showing the scars of its great age, that has crucially retained all of its aromatic complexity whilst showing a considerable intensity and concentration of flavour not found in younger wheels. These wheels are truly special.

The Beaufort was chosen by Patricia & our team when we went to pick our selection last year and we asked for a couple of them to age further to see how they would taste when taken to the limit.
We thought a September cheese could be a potential profile to take the risk.  The crust of the cheese needs careful attention and an even humidity in the cellar - and the old Ice Cellar hewn into the rocky hill just above Chambery has the ideal conditions for ageing older Beaufort cheese.  This cellar is very special and was used by Denis Provent who was a major affineur of Savoie cheeses and good friend of Patricia.  Denis father was also an affineur as well as part of the Resistance army.  The hidden cellars and tunnels hold many stories.  

Copy by Max Melvin, Senior LA FROMAGERIE Cheesemonger