Organic Tarentaise Cheese

Tarentaise is a unique American farmstead cheese which reflects the Terroir of Pomfret Vermont and Thistle Hill Farm. The combination of climate, cows, feed and the traditional unmechanized methods of making Tarentaise result in a cheese which can be most closely associated with the Alpine cheeses of France. Unlike cheeses made solely on stored feed, Tarentaise is denser, softer and richer in its perfumes than its commercial brethren.
Tarentaise is unique to Pomfret, Vermont - its soil, geography climate and flora combine to give Tarentaise its characteristic smooth, subtle nut flavor and complex finish. Following the traditions of the Savoie region of the French Alps, Tarentaise is made in a copper vat, which is essential to the development of the proper flavor. The Putnams also make their own traditional rennet using the whey from the previous cheesemaking. Much as bakers use sourdough starter, this difficult process lends a complexity of flavor to the cheese which cannot otherwise be created.
The curds used to make Tarentaise are taken by hand from the vat in a large cheese cloth to the fore press. The cheeses are then turned up to five times in molds imported from France which create the distinctive concave sides which Tarentaise shares with Beaufort and Abondance, two fine cheeses of the Savoie. The aging room, where the cheeses reside for at least five months, is made mostly of stone and contains only Tarentaise. During the aging process, the cheeses are turned and scrubbed a minimum of twice each week to develop its natural rind and warm butterscotch color.
From its humble beginnings as organic raw milk, to its natural aging and rind development, no preservatives, synthetic flavors or additives are added to Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise. No herbs hide its flavor; no waxes or plastics simplify the aging process. From the hay that feeds the cows, to the end result, everything is done on the farm by the Putnam family.