L'Etivaz is a raw cow's milk alpine cheese from the village of L'Etivaz in the Vaud Alps of Switzerland, AOP protected and made only during the summer alpage season when the herds are up in the high pastures. It's the older, more rustic cousin of Gruyère, cooked in copper cauldrons over open wood fires right in the mountain chalets, which is where it picks up that faint campfire savoriness you don't get anywhere else.
The paste is firm and dense, a warm straw color that breaks in clean slabs under the knife with the occasional crunch of tyrosine crystal from the aging. On the palate it opens with brown butter and toasted hazelnut, then pulls into a long savory finish with a whisper of woodfire smoke underneath. There's a depth to it that only comes from summer milk and open-flame cauldrons, and a minimum of 135 days in the cooperative cellars down in the village.
If you love a properly aged Gruyère but want something with more soul and more story behind it, this is the one. Only about 70 alpage producers make it every year, and every wheel is stamped and traceable back to the chalet it came from.
Real reviews from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills Google Business Profile. Curated by Dom and his team since 1967.
Domenico and his team are fantastic. I’m a chef and I often get my supplies from The Cheese Store — unique products, carefully selected, from top Italian and French cheeses to excellent local ones.
Absolutely loved the cheese store! Everyone was super helpful and friendly. Lena helped us — she was very knowledgeable on all the cheeses: where they came from, what the region is like, what they are known for. It was like wine tasting for cheese.
Ordered several cheeses from them and the wrong items were delivered. Contacted the store and they recognized the error and immediately sent the correct order the next day without any fuss. Really appreciate the promptness and professionalism.
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