Valençay, tasting at the Atelier du Goût

This commune in the Indre department of France has earned its place on the French gastronomic map in more ways than one. In addition to its AOC wine and AOP cheese, Valençay is famous for its château, whose history is closely linked to Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord, the refined prince who hired the famous Antonin Carême and brought him to his château to serve at the tables of the great and good of Europe.

Valençay cheese is a truncated pyramid, like its departmental cousin pouligny-saint-pierre, which is closer to Poitou, while valençay, in northern Indre, is closer to Loir-et-Cher. The obvious visual difference is that Valençay is ashy, while Pouligny is not, which helps to recognize them on a plateau.

Legend has it that Talleyrand himself sliced off the top of the pyramid presented to him in early versions of valençayay, so that Napoleon wouldn't see an entire pyramid as an unpleasant allusion to the defeat of his troops in Egypt during the famous Battle of the Pyramids.

Valençay has been an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) since 1998 and an Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) since 2014. It is made from goat's milk, ashed with vegetable charcoal, before being aged in a cellar for a minimum of eleven days after renneting.

Tasting

Of the 9 cheeses tasted, 5 are PDO, the other three are not, which is not necessarily synonymous with lower quality, as some producers don't consider this classification essential.

• Ferme de Diou PDO ❤

Jérémy Chipault has brought the family's 150-hectare farm to fruition, with 250 goats raised on their own food. A milk producer and cheese processor, his petit valençay rubs shoulders with selles-sur-cher, logs, crottins and white cheeses, sold on the farm, in local cheese dairies and at Rungis.

Tasting notes: A typical Valençay, well-balanced, with a full-bodied paste under a beautiful whitish ashen rind, with a natural freshness. The texture is quite creamy, the cheese has a good dairy taste, with a hint of hazelnut, in a beautiful fermentary evolution.

4,30€

• Fromagerie d'Anjouin ❤

Located in the Valençay appellation area and 60 years of existence... for Fromagerie Anjouin specializing in 3 PDO cheeses from the region, which it distributes throughout France. International Food Standard certified, twice winner of the Word Cheese Award, it collects from 700 dairies in the geographical area. On-site sales.

Tasting notes: A good farmhouse aroma, with a milky sweetness behind a fairly attractive, homogeneous rind, a well-executed, mature cheese, supple on the palate, fresh and respectful of the appellation, long with a fruity finish, pleasantly creamy.

5 €

Le Bourg 36210 Anjouin

• Ferme de Mosnay PDO

Bruno Lojon is an entrepreneur who heads a team of 6 employees who keep the farm running at full speed. Grain produced on the farm feeds the 250 goats, whose milk is processed into cheese on site. Valençays account for 50% of total production. Farm sales.

Tasting notes: An attack of fresh milk with farmhouse nuances, pleasant and not too salty, a well-balanced Valençay, meltingly smooth, easy to enjoy, flawless.

3,90€

Mosnay, 36600 Visq-sur-Nahon

• La ferme de Poumoué PDO

Guillain Jouhanneau wears two hats: his goat farm and a farm catering outlet where goat products take pride of place. Cheeses, yoghurts, as well as a number of delicious preparations to take away, or to eat on site in the welcoming rustic inn.

Tasting notes: A smooth, unmarbled appearance under a fairly thick ash, a discreet attack but a powerful development lacking a little character, a melting, slightly sticky texture.

4,50€

Poumoué 36400 Le Magny

• Domaine de Valasson PDO

Brigitte Petit set up her farm in 1986, assisted by her partner 3 years later, and now by her daughter. Agricultural studies in hand, 170 goats in the field, and a business that runs on milk processed into cheeses, 65% of which are Valençays. The PDO guarantees an 11-day maturing period and a shelf-life of at least ten days.

Tasting notes: A slightly dry rind, surrounding a smooth paste, a good goat's cheese, rather well matured, pleasant and quite powerful. The paste fills the mouth, with a slightly soapy finish from a rather advanced ripening. The goat's cheese flavor comes through well, with a strong olfactory impact.

Valasson 36230 Buxières-d'Aillac

• GIE Fermier Berry Touraine PDO

A group of 17 farmers and a cheese-maker in an Economic Interest Group, which includes 6 PDO cheeses from the region, including 5 from Valençays. This grouping enables customers to have a single supplier.

Tasting notes: The rind is a little dry and thick, the nose well defined, farmhouse, quite engaging and the texture supple. A mature Valençay, quite powerful but pleasant; very goaty, with character and length, an intense, well-balanced palate.

Valasson 36230 Buxières-d'Aillac

• Ferme des Cossonnières PDO

Nicolas Guillon's career took him from sales to tobacco farming to goat cheese, and he wanted to bring a human touch to his work. Goat breeding gave him the opportunity, with 170 head producing 70 to 80,000 cheeses a year, 10% of total production in the Valançays. On-site sales.

Tasting notes: A pleasant, typical Valençay with a dark rind and pronounced, not too heady, goaty aromas. The palate is uniform, flawless, just a little pasty, but with chewiness, good persistence and no excess acidity.

4,50€

3, rue de la Fontaine, Les Cossonnières 37600 Saint-Flovier

• Maison Louet

Catherine Clément works non-stop on the family estate taken over in 1998. Valançays account for 50% of the cheese produced, while petit valençay, a 110g mini portion, also has its place. Produced all year round, the cheese is at its best from October to May. For sale on site.

Tasting notes: A pretty, crumpled rind, a clean, light nose, a slightly sticky texture evolving into milky aromas. A typical Valençay that lacks a little character on tasting, consistent and neutral, flawless.

3,60€

La Morelière, 2, allée du Chêne Vert 36180 Pellevoisin

• Fromagerie Jacquin

Cheeses on the scale of a company founded in 1947 by Romain Jacquin's great-grandparents. Today, milk is collected within a 60-kilometer radius and within the PDO zone. Flagship products include selles-sur-cher, sainte-maure de-touraine and, of course, valençay.

Tasting notes: Good texture, fairly thin rind concealing a marked scent of undergrowth, fresh mushroom and slight dampness. Slightly doughy on the palate, the taste is fairly balanced, lacking a little length.

5.50€-6 € env