An evening with the cheeses of Burgundy

Lustrous canals, kir royals, and cheese that smells like feet: You must be speaking of Burgundy! The culinary capital of the provinces - the home of beef bourguignon and pinot noir - produces some of the most exciting, sensual stinky cheeses on the map.

Not often venturing out past San Jose, I've found it difficult to visualize and understand this specific region of France. How do these cheeses differ from the stately sheep milks of the Pyrenees mountains or the earthy camemberts of Normandy? Last week, The Cheese School of SF put it into perspective with an entire class on Burgundian cheeses (plus vino!).

Enthusiastically led by Colette Hatch (above), madame de fromage at Oliver's Market in Santa Rosa, the class weaved through eight cheeses and three wine pairings that characterized the larger "old Burgundy" prior to the 17th century. The region has undergone several leadership changes and geographical shifts in the last thousand years, and has previously included the Franche-Comte regions and areas south of Paris. Today, it encompasses the a sizeable part of central/northeastern France. Its capital is Dijon. (mustard!)

Epoisses

Burgundy is above all known for its smelly washed-rind cheeses like the Epoisses de Bourgogne, a sensuous orange bulb that bursts with runny butter funk when it's pierced. The freak factor comes from natural bacteria that form when a cheese is rubbed down in brine and/or alcohol. In this case, it's the local brandy Marc de Bourgogne, giving the cheese a boozy sweetness. The Langres cheese (pictured up top) from Champagne is equally impressive yet a tad milder, with a firmer texture and a lasting flavor of butter and grass. The region is also home to a bounty of goats, which produce the great ash streaked morbier and rich and tangy bucheron log.

My cheese plate (clockwise from top): Brillat-Savarin triple creme, Bucherondin goat log, Langres, unpasteurized Tomme Crayeuse mountain cheese, Marcel Petit Comte, Pascal Beillevaire Morbier, Epoisses, Bleu d'Auvergne. Depending on the day and time, most of these cheeses are available at The Pasta Shop. (You can buy me too!)

The deep fruit flavored cassis liqueur 

Making kir royales with cassis and a Cremant de Bourgogne bubbly

Another local specialty that's obtained prominence in the US is the kir royale, made from the blackcurrant liqueur creme de cassis. The story goes that Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon during the first half of the 20th century, drank a very dry white wine called Aligote. One day, he decided to add cassis to sweeten it up a little and make it more palatable. While the original "kir" is made with white wine, the kir royale substitutes bubbly for some extra bling.

From left to right: 2009 Regnard Macon Rouge,
2009 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Pinot Noir, 2009 Joseph Drouhin Cote de Nuits Villages

An interesting point: Colette told us that the higher the wine's alcohol percentage, the harder it is to pair with cheese. Each of the three wines we tried - a chablis and two pinot noirs - hovered around 13 percent. My favorite was the center glass, a 2009 Alex Gambal Bourgogne pinot noir from Volnay. It was extremely smooth with ripe red fruit flavors. Its assertiveness stood up to the more powerful washed rind cheeses. It's also important to note that Burgundy is the home of pinot noir and chardonnay, and some of the most expensive wines in the world. They're the basis of California wine culture today. 

When you're drinking bubbly, your best bet is a triple creme bloomy rind cheese like this Brillat Savarin: heavenly moist fresh butter with a hint of lemon. One sliver is not enough!