Creamy German blue with bold veining and zero sharp edge.
Grand Noir, a creamy German blue from Käserei Champignon in the Allgäu, wrapped in black wax. Buttery, bold veining, sweet-salty finish.
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Grand Noir is a German blue from Käserei Champignon in the Allgäu, the alpine dairy region in the south of Bavaria, wrapped in its signature jet-black wax rind. The wax does real work here, holding moisture in so the paste stays luxuriously buttery while the blue develops underneath.
The paste is semi-soft and rich, a pale ivory color shot through with bold blue veining that runs evenly across the wheel. On the palate it opens with sweet cream and butter, then the blue pushes through with a savory, slightly tangy lift and a controlled peppery bite on the back end. There is real depth to it, salty and sweet at the same time, with a long finish that holds on the palate.
This is a blue for people who want the bite without the sharp acidic edge that some blues lean into. The cream-forward paste makes it approachable, the veining gives it confidence, and the whole thing reads as decadent rather than aggressive.
Semi-soft and yielding, buttery and rich under the knife with a smooth paste shot through with bold blue veining.
A bold blue with a creamy, buttery body underneath. Sweet and salty up front, then the veining pushes through with a savory, tangy lift.
Long, savory, slightly sweet finish that holds on the palate, with the blue piccante pulling through at the end.
Pronounced buttery cream forward, almost like fresh butter melting on the tongue before the blue kicks in.
A touch of toasted note in the background, but this one leans on cream and blue rather than nut.
Gentle mushroomy, mineral pull from the Penicillium roqueforti veining, more savory than barnyardy.
A confident peppery bite on the back of the palate from the blue veining, controlled rather than sharp.
Waxed rind
The signature black wax rind is inedible. It is purely a protective wrap that holds in moisture and lets the paste develop its rich, buttery texture.
Grand Noir stands on its own, but the right partners turn a wedge into a moment. Regional pairings first — they were built for each other.
Sweet wines like a late-harvest Riesling or Port balance the salty bite of the blue, and a dark stout matches the richness of the paste.
The buttery paste wants something sweet to play against the salt, and walnuts pick up the savory side of the blue.
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“Soft-ripened blue cheese built around the Cambozola model they invented — French bloomy-rind technique crossed with Italian-style Penicillium roqueforti veining, enriched with cream for a triple-cream paste.”
Pasteurized Allgäu cow's milk enriched with cream, double-inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti and a surface bloom, then cellar-ripened to a spoonable triple-cream paste.
Hand-cut to order the day it ships. Packed cold for overnight delivery.
Taste it for yourself →Cold-ship 2-day overnight nationwide
