Tomme Brebis Papillon

This is Tomme de Brebis from Fromageries Papillon in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, the same house better known for their Roquefort, working in sheep's milk down in the south of France. It's a semi-soft pressed wheel with a natural rind, and one any old cheese store customer will recognize, we were short on this one for about eight months during a global shortage and it just came back.

The paste is pale and supple, gives gently under the knife, and stays light on the palate rather than dense or chalky. Flavor leans savory and nutty with that pronounced caramelized-milk and browned-butter character you get from a well-pressed sheep tomme. It's mellow, sweet, and easygoing, not the loud, salty pull of an aged manchego or a hard pecorino, more pastoral and gentle, with a clean finish.

Just because it's mild doesn't mean it's not flavorful. This is a cheese that goes with almost anything, a real workhorse on the board, and a quietly elegant one on its own.