Lincet Epoisses AOC (8.8oz/250g)

Époisses takes its name from the village of the same name in the Côte-d'Or, in the heart of Burgundy, where legend holds that Cistercian monks at nearby Cîteaux Abbey began making the cheese in the early 16th century, later passing the recipe to local farmers when the community moved on. Production flourished for centuries — by 1900 several hundred farms in the area were making it — but the cheese all but disappeared through the upheaval of the two World Wars, and it was only revived starting in the 1950s by producers dedicated to reviving Burgundy's traditional know-how; that effort was recognized in 1991, when Époisses earned AOC status, with strict rules governing everything from the cows' breed to the geographic area where the cheese must be made and matured. This wheel comes from Fromagerie Lincet, a family of cheesemakers with five generations of history rooted in the Marne, who have specialized in Burgundy and Champagne's classic soft cheeses since taking over a small regional dairy in the 1950s. True to tradition, it's washed repeatedly during aging with water gradually enriched with Marc de Bourgogne, developing its signature red-orange rind, pungent aroma, and soft, spoonable, deeply savory paste — best served with a slice of gingerbread and a glass of red Burgundy.