Cheeses from Savoie

There are cheeses whose story begins long before the first bite. High above the Combe de Savoie, in Seythenex on the hills above Annecy, the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Tamié stands amidst the mountains. Founded in the 12th century, it is still home to a community of Trappist monks. And it is here that Tamié is made.

Raw, whole cow’s milk is used to create an uncooked, pressed cheese. But to reduce Tamié to its technical specifications would be to miss the point entirely. For here, cheese-making is an integral part of the abbey’s very existence and helps to sustain the community. The product thus becomes an extension of a place, a history and a way of life.

It is also another way of understanding what Paul Morpain calls a “terroir” cheese: not just a flavour, but a traceable origin, the men and women you can meet, and a craft we strive to preserve.

On the palate? A supple, generous and approachable texture that everyone can agree on. Monastic silence is optional during the tasting, although the setting certainly matters: a cheese made by monks, in an abbey nestled amongst the mountains, a few kilometres as the crow flies from Lake Annecy – you have to admit, the story is rather served up on a platter!

Still in the Bauges region, there lies a cheese whose low-key nature is inversely proportional to its deliciousness: the Vacherin des Bauges. It is a cheese one looks forward to. Traditionally associated with winter, it is one of those seasonal produce that reminds us of a sometimes-forgotten truth: cheese, too, has its seasons.

Its texture becomes supple, then creamy, until it can become quite runny. A wooden ring holds this little world in place and contributes to its identity by imparting those subtle nutty notes found in Mont d’Or.

Vacherin des Bauges is a cheese with a long history. Served as far back as the Middle Ages at the tables of the Dukes of Savoy, it embodies centuries of expertise, yet remains largely unknown beyond its region of production. This rarity lends it an added charm.

At Paul Morpain, it is precisely this history that matters. Behind every cheese, he seeks out the farm, the herd, the craftsmanship and the person who made it. Because a beautiful rind isn’t everything: “The milk reflects the terroir where the producer is based, and it is the milk that gives each cheese its distinctive character.”

The Vacherin des Bauges is a delicious illustration of this.

Moving on to a different mountain range: the Aravis. In Manigod, as throughout the Aravis, Reblochon is an institution. Yet the valley holds a far less well-known speciality in store for the curious: the Manigodine. A raw-milk cow’s-milk tomme, uncooked and pressed, wrapped in a spruce strap which accompanies its maturing process and gives it that distinctive, subtle woody flavour.

Its name tells a story in itself: it pays tribute to the “Manigodines”, the women who traditionally made the cheese on mountain farms. This is exactly the sort of product that appeals to Paul Morpain: a cheese inextricably linked to its environment.

On tasting, it has a supple texture, a creamy mouthfeel and woody notes… The Manigodine is produced by two farms, then matured and distributed by Fromagerie Paccard. Thicker than a Reblochon, it is wrapped in a spruce strap, in the style of a Mont d’Or: “The perfect marriage between the woody flavour of Mont d’Or and the creamy texture of Reblochon”. That says it all. Or almost.

For its other advantage is that it can be enjoyed all year round. When the Mont d’Or disappears with the arrival of warmer weather, the Manigodine remains on the plateau. It can be warmed, but Paul happily recommends it just as it is, to be eaten by the spoonful. A bit like a personal fondue… without the caquelon.

Although still little known to the general public, the Manigodine is nevertheless winning over those who love exploring new places with ease. It’s exactly what we’re looking for.

Don’t expect to find a flashy name or perfectly marketed packaging here. The fourth gem chosen by Paul Morpain is a farmhouse tomme from Le Grand-Bornand, produced exclusively by two brothers who are now in their seventies, with around ten cows and just a few tommes made each day.

Suffice to say, this is a far cry from large-scale production. Paul collects their cheeses from the farm himself. And when he talks about it, the tomme almost fades into the background behind the memory of the encounter: “It’s a fabulous moment, a real sense of sharing. And that’s also what we convey when we offer tastings of these ‘secret’ creations.”

This tomme is similar in principle to those found in Savoie, but has its own flavour, its own production technique and, above all, the personal touch of those who make it. It’s a very niche product, which has nevertheless managed, little by little, to carve out a place for itself in the shop in Annecy.

Perhaps this is where the most accurate definition of a hidden gem of a cheese lies. A cheese you don’t just buy because it tastes good. You buy it too because someone can tell you where it comes from. For Paul, this traceability has become essential. Customers increasingly want to understand what they’re eating: the origin of the milk, the animals’ feed, production conditions, and respect for the farms’ natural rhythms. A slice of the local terroir to savour to the full.

For the final item, Paul Morpain highlights a 100 per cent homemade speciality: a dry goat’s cheese smoked by Maxence Baud, served with hams and sausages. A single night of cold smoking with juniper berries is enough to give its rind a slight colour and, above all, to impart a particularly pronounced smoky flavour.

But the reason Paul is so keen on it is also because this cheese bridges two chapters of his own career. After his two-year apprenticeship at Fromagerie Gay, he spent a year at Maison Baud. Today, these two traditions of craftsmanship come together in his display case and through this iconic product. “It’s a distillation of everything I love,” he smiles.

It’s easy to see why: here, there’s no room for subtlety. The juniper smoking really gives the dry goat’s cheese a bold twist. It’s powerful, distinctive and probably the cheese in this selection that you’d recognise with your eyes closed. A real gem with plenty of character!

To this selection – which is by no means exhaustive – one might add the tomme infused with edible flowers, hay or génépi, matured at Paccard in Manigod, as well as the ‘tomme morgée’ – that is, rubbed with water and salt – and small logs of goat’s cheese, some ash-coated and others flavoured… and, crossing the border into Savoie, you can also find, for example, Margériaz, a pressed, cooked cheese made in Lescheraines in the style of Beaufort. So many variations, each reflecting the character of those who make them.