Top 10 Burgundian Pasteurized Milk Cheeses

Époisses is a soft cheese made from cow's milk with a glossy rind, and a pale beige, creamy, slightly salty body. It must mature for at least 4 weeks before it is ready for consumption when its salty, spicy, and sweet flavors, and an intense, pungent aroma fully develop. The cheese is so smelly that it's been banned on public transport in France, according to the BBC. Its natural, brick red glossy rind develops during the maturation process as it gets washed with water containing Marc de Bourgogne (an aged brandy from Burgundy). Époisses is sold in a wooden box in order to ease the transport and prevent the cheese from spilling out. It's recommended to serve it with a slice of crusty bread and pair it with a glass of white wine or beer. Expand

Délice de Bourgogne is a French triple crème cheese originating from the region of Burgundy, hence the name. The cheese is made from cow’s milk and butterfat, and it has a fat content of 75%. Its texture is smooth and creamy, while the flavors are tangy, tart, salty, buttery, and mushroomy. The rind is white, bloomy, and quite pungent. It is recommended to serve the cheese on its own or pair it with ciders and white wines.Expand

Bresse Bleu is a French cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk. This blue cheese hides a soft and creamy texture underneath its bloomy white rind. The aroma is fresh and mushroomy, while the flavor is buttery and very rich. During the production of Bresse Bleu, Penicillium roqueforti is added to the curds, and after molding, the rounds of cheese are rubbed with Penicillium camemberti. The cheese is then left to mature for 2-4 weeks before consumption. Interestingly, Bresse Bleu is less pungent and less salty than most blue cheeses. Serve it with walnut bread and white grapes.Expand

Abbaye de Citeaux is a French cheese originating from Burgundy. The cheese is made with pasteurized cow's milk and has a washed rind. The milk comes from Montbéliarde cows which graze the area around the Citeaux Abbey for at least 6 months. The cheese has an earthy aroma and a creamy, smooth, and dense texture, while the flavors are milky and acidic. Most of the 300 cheeses, which are made every Monday and Tuesday, are sold in the abbey shop, making it difficult to find the cheese elsewhere in France. It is recommended to pair it with light Burgundy wines.Expand

Mamirolle is a semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk that was first made in 1935 by students of the Ecole Nationale d'Industrie Laitiere in Mamirolle, France, hence the name. In 1996, the Éco-Délices dairy in Plessisville, Quebec also got the exclusive license to produce the cheese outside France. Underneath Mamirolle's washed rind, the texture is supple, elastic, and chewy. The aromas are earthy and pungent, while the flavors are mild, fruity, salty, and sweet, with a rich buttery finish. The cheese is left to age from 3 to 4 weeks on wooden planks, and during the process it's washed with annatto. Pair it with a glass of Beaujolais.Expand

Trou du cru is a French cheese originating from Cote d'Or. It's made from cow's milk as a smaller version of Époisses. The cheese was developed by the cheesemaker Robert Berthaut in the 1980s. During the maturation period, the cheese is washed with Marc de Bourgogne, resulting in a sticky rind of Trou du cru. It matures on straw in order to prevent it from sticking to a flat surface. The aromas are much stronger than the flavors, and the flavors are savory, floral, straw-like, and boozy. The texture is smooth, creamy, and well-balanced. This cheese is traditionally sold packaged in paper cups.Expand

Édel de Cléron is a soft French cheese originating from the city of Cléron. It is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. The cheese matured for about three weeks, and it is then wrapped in cloth and bound with spruce bark strips, helping it to retain its shape and giving it a rustic, woody aroma. On the exterior, it has a bloomy white rind, while the interior is creamy and runny in texture, so the cheese is often eaten with a spoon. Its flavor can best be described as earthy and mushroomy.Expand

Aisy Cendre is a traditional cheese hailing from Burgundy. The semi-soft cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk. The rind is washed in Marc de Bourgogne wine, and it's then covered with oak or grapevine ash before it's left to mature for at least a month. Underneath the rind, the texture is firm when young and smooth and creamy when fully aged. The aromas are nutty, smokey, and earthy, while the flavors are rich, salty, smokey, and herbaceous. It's recommended to serve Aisy Cendre with celery sticks or fresh fruit such as pears and apples. Pair it with a glass of full-bodied and fruity Burgundy wine.Expand

Plaisir au Chablis is a French cheese hailing from Brochon. This semi-soft cheese is made from cow's milk and ages for 6 weeks. It's named the pleasure of Chablis after the crisp white Chablis wine used in its production. The rind is washed once a week with Chablis, resulting in strong, fruity, and alcoholic flavors and aromas of the cheese. The cheese is packed in wooden boxes, and the texture is creamy, velvety, dense, and tends to melt in the mouth. Serve it with sweet and acidic fruits and pair it with dry white wines.Expand

Palet de Bourgogne is a French cheese hailing from Gevrey-Chambertin. The cheese is made from cow's milk and it ages for 4 weeks. It's based on Epoisses, and it's washed every two days with Marc de Bourgogne and brine. As a result, the rind becomes wet and develops a reddish color. The aromas are intense, while the texture is creamy, smooth, and almost runny. The flavors are full, rich, powerful and penetrating, but not as strong as those of Ami du Chambertin and Epoisses. It's recommended to pair Palet de Bourgogne with light red wines and serve it with walnut bread.Expand