Soft-ripened goat cheese with bright citrus notes and earthy, mineral depth.
Soft-ripened California goat's milk cheese from Andante Dairy, with an ashed Geotricum rind, bright lactic tang, and earthy, mushroomy notes.
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Acapella is a small soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from Andante Dairy in Petaluma, California, made with vegetarian rennet and finished with a dusting of vegetable ash under a Geotricum candidum rind. The rind blooms into a wrinkled, bluish-grey coat that gently holds a stark white paste inside.
Cut into it young and you get that fresh goat lactic tang up front, bright and citrusy, with a chalkier core that softens toward the rind. Give it a little more time and the cream line does its work: the paste turns tender and almost spoonable near the rind, and the earthy, mushroomy character from the Geotricum starts pulling the flavor deeper into savory, mineral territory. It's a great illustration of centripetal aging, where the outside ripens first and slowly works its way in.
Andante is one of the small California goat dairies really worth paying attention to. Acapella is delicate, a little wild, and shows off what fresh goat milk and a well-behaved ashed rind can do together when the maker isn't rushing anything.
Soft and yielding, with a delicate wrinkled rind holding a stark white paste that turns tender and spoonable near the rind as it ripens, staying a touch chalkier at the core.
Bright goat lactic tang up front, with the ashed Geotricum rind pulling the flavor deeper into savory, earthy territory as the paste softens.
A clean, mid-length finish where the fresh goat tang fades into a soft earthy, mineral note from the rind that sticks around for a good beat.
Pronounced fresh goat milk tang, clean and citrusy on the front of the tongue, characteristic of a young ashed chèvre.
Light almond-cream note underneath the lactic tang, more suggestion than statement.
The ashed Geotricum rind carries a distinctly earthy, mushroomy character that runs through the paste as it ages, giving the cheese its savory backbone.
No peppery bite; the finish stays gentle and mineral rather than piquant.
Ash rind
The wrinkled bluish-grey rind, from vegetable ash under Geotricum candidum, is edible and does most of the heavy lifting on flavor: earthy, mushroomy, faintly mineral, and a real contrast to the bright lactic paste underneath.
Acapella stands on its own, but the right partners turn a wedge into a moment. Regional pairings first — they were built for each other.
Bright, high-acid whites and a dry rosé cut through the goat lactic tang and lift the earthy ashed rind without overwhelming the delicate paste.
A drizzle of light honey or a spoon of fig jam plays off the lactic brightness, while toasted walnuts echo the earthy notes coming out of the ashed rind.
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