Crottin Aged (3oz)

A traditional aged Crottin from the Loire Valley, the little wrinkled puck of goat's milk cheese that the region is built on. Crottin is one of those cheeses that changes character entirely depending on when you catch it, and the aged version is a different animal from the young one, denser, drier, and a lot more pronounced.

The paste tightens up as the wheel ages, going from soft and chalky to firm and slightly flaky, with the rind wrinkling and pulling in around it. On the palate it leads with that bright goat-milk tang you expect from a Loire chèvre, then opens into a real toasted-hazelnut nuttiness through the middle, with a quiet mushroomy note coming off the rind. The finish is clean and dry, more savory than sweet.

This is the version for people who already love young goat cheese and want to see where the recipe goes once it's had some time. Small format, big character, the kind of cheese that anchors a board without taking it over.