Mons Selection Crottin de Chavignol

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The crottin is a delicious goat’s milk delight, a special type of cheese that has a distinct, enjoyable taste at every point in its maturity. At 10 days old (jeune), it has a faint fragrance and very mild, nutty taste. The rind is almost as soft as the pâté. At around 6 weeks (bleuté), this is when the wrinkling begins. The disc begins to shrink and gains a bluish hue, crumblier pâté, and more pungent scent. By the three-month mark (affiné), the crottin is deemed mature. It loses about half its original size and gain the pungency of aged Brie.

Crottin de Chavignol is a small cheese made of goats milk. As the rind develops, it will take on a rather unique rippled appearance. The young cheese has a subtle nutty flavor that shows off the quality of the goats milk. As it ripens it becomes crumbly and the rind becomes a bluish color.

PREPARATIONS AND PAIRINGS

At a cool room temperature, a crottin makes a delightful addition to any cheese board, especially with slices of crisp fruit or prosciutto and a drizzling of honey. It also bakes well into a rich, creamy appetizer dip, a fluffy souffle, or even a savory tart. As the cheese ages, it can be crumbled into a salad of bitter greens with a light vinaigrette dressing. Try it in a warm Croque Madame for your weekend brunch. It makes a great alternative for Roquefort cheese in burgers or baked oysters too.

Chilled white wine goes best with crottin cheese, especially Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, right from the Loire Valley too. Red wine drinkers will enjoy aged Chavignol with a Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône. And, of course, this gem of a cheese goes well with a celebratory Champagne or any other sparkling wine, too.

LITERALLY, NAME-DROPPING

As delicious as we now know crottin cheeses to be, the story behind that name is a rather humorous one. French goat cheese sellers wanted to describe their wares to their buyers in familiar terms. They used crottin to refer to the wrinkly rinds, but the word also happens to mean “animal droppings”. Thankfully, by smell and color alone, there’s no mistaking which crottin is which!

Understanding the Natural Evolution of Crottin

Crottin is a traditional French goat cheese that naturally changes in texture, flavor, and rind development as it matures. Depending on the stage of aging, each Crottin offers a very different experience.

Young Crottin is typically softer, creamier, milder, and cleaner in appearance, often showing little to no visible rind development or surface mold. The flavor is fresh, delicate, and lightly tangy.

As the cheese continues to mature, the texture gradually becomes firmer and more concentrated. The rind begins to evolve naturally, developing the expressive character associated with traditionally aged French goat cheeses.

For our Extra Mature Crottin, visible rind development is expected. You may notice white bloom, grey veining, blue tones, or occasional small traces of green surface mold appearing across the exterior. These are natural molds that form during the aging process of authentic natural-rind cheeses and contribute to the cheese’s earthy aroma, complexity, and depth of flavor.

Unlike industrial fresh cheeses, Crottin is a living cheese that continues evolving over time. Variations in rind appearance, aroma, texture, and intensity are completely normal and part of the product’s artisanal nature.

For best enjoyment: • Allow the cheese to rest briefly at room temperature before serving for fuller flavor and softer texture. • If preferred, concentrated spots on the rind of mature Crottin may be lightly trimmed before serving.

From fresh and creamy to earthy and fully matured, each stage of Crottin offers a different expression of traditional French goat cheese craftsmanship.

Storage Instructions

• Keep refrigerated between 0°C to 4°C. • Store in cheese paper, parchment, or lightly wrapped packaging to allow slight airflow. • Avoid airtight plastic containers for prolonged periods.