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AOC — PDO — Rhône-Alpes
Twin sister of Fourme d'Ambert, separated since 2002 into its own PDO (AOP) — a discreetly blue-veined paste of singular mildness, beneath an orange rind shaped by weeks of draining in wooden gutters.
Blue cheese from Rhône-Alpes, PDO (AOP) since 2002.
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In the heart of the mountain range separating Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, between Clermont-Ferrand and Saint-Étienne, lies a blue cheese with medieval roots: its existence is attested with certainty as early as the 8th–9th centuries, representing over twelve centuries of history. The Monts du Forez, peaking at 1,634 metres at the Hautes-Chaumes, shaped this cheesemaking tradition within the 'jasseries' — those summer pastoral dwellings where herds and farmers lived from May to October, complementary to the farmsteads located further down in the villages. According to legend, this cheese was already enjoyed in the days of the Arvernes, and Julius Caesar himself is said to have eaten it during his campaigns in Gaul.
Long united with Fourme d'Ambert under the same appellation d'origine contrôlée 'Fourme d'Ambert et de Montbrison' since 1972, Fourme de Montbrison achieved its own recognition: the initiative culminated on 24 February 2002 with the signing of the interministerial decree that definitively distinguished it from Fourme d'Ambert. A rare distinction between two blue cheeses from the same lineage, which enshrines the distinctiveness of the Monts du Forez terroir on the Loire side compared with that of Ambert on the Puy-de-Dôme side. Two twin sisters that have found their own voice.
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Fourme de Montbrison is distinguished by its characteristic rind: dry, bloomy, orange in colour, sometimes flecked with white, yellow or even grey moulds. This distinctive shade owes nothing to rubbing: upon unmoulding, the cheeses are lightly salted and then laid for more than six days on chéneaux — veritable gutters traditionally carved from a split softwood trunk. This prolonged contact between cheese and wood encourages the development of surface flora and prevents the rind from drying out too quickly, gradually shaping the orange crust — a hallmark of Forez craftsmanship.
Appearance
Dry, bloomy, orange-coloured rind; cream-coloured paste barely marbled with blue, with few openings.
Aroma
Delicate and discreet scent, echoing its 'fine and fragrant' flavour.
Taste
Subdued 'blue' character, a certain mildness, fruity milky flavour; less salty than other cheeses in the blue family.
Texture
Consistent, slightly firm and melting in the mouth.
By milk type — Produced with raw milk, pasteurised milk or as an organic version.
By production method — Made in dairies (fourme 'laitière') or by farmhouse producers (fourme 'fermière'), the latter using milk from a maximum of two consecutive milkings.
At a temperature between 29°C and 34°C, using exclusively rennet
Curd crumbled and salted throughout, then moulded and drained without pressing by turning over 18 to 48 hours
From the 10th day after renneting, using long needles to provide the aeration needed for the blue veining to develop
In a cellar or hâloir between 6°C and 12°C, with a humidity of 90 to 98%, for a minimum of 15 days after piercing
The cheese may only bear the appellation from the 32nd day following the date of renneting
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A delicate blue cheese of singular mildness — its 'blue' character remains understated. Equally good cold or hot, Fourme de Montbrison lends itself to numerous culinary preparations: sauces, potato gratin, raclette, or in a 'tartifourme', a variation of tartiflette in which it replaces reblochon. More simply, it is enjoyed as an aperitif, in salads, or in a sandwich with a slice of country ham.
Wine pairings: the classic pairing remains a sweet or dessert white wine — a Sauternes in particular — whose sweetness balances the cheese's saltiness; for a local pairing rooted in the terroir, a light red with low tannins such as Côtes du Forez (Gamay grape) holds its own just as well.
Since: 1972
Area covered: 33 communes in the Hauts Plateaux du Forez (28 in Loire, 5 in Puy-de-Dôme)
Key requirements: Blue-veined, unpressed, uncooked cheese
Associated with Ambert under the name 'Fourme d'Ambert et de Montbrison'.
Since: 2002
Area covered: 33 communes in the Hauts Plateaux du Forez (28 in Loire, 5 in Puy-de-Dôme)
Key requirements: Cow's milk (raw, pasteurised or organic), draining in softwood gutters, piercing from the 10th day onwards, minimum period of 32 days before commercialisation under the appellation
Reference: Décret du 24 février 2002.
The INAO specifications stipulate the format of the cheese: a cylinder 17 to 21 cm in height and 11.5 to 14.5 cm in diameter, weighing 2.1 to 2.7 kg. Its dry, bloomy rind is never washed or rubbed — its orange colour stems from prolonged draining in softwood gutters, combined with salting techniques.
Trade association
Major house
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Maison Mons presents itself as a cheesemonger and affineur since the 1960s: it sources, matures and markets a wide range of artisanal cheeses. It claims three generations of practising traditional maturing methods. It holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label.
The house relies on several of its own facilities — including Fromagerie des Hautes Chaumes, Laiterie de la Côte Roannaise and Tunnel de la Collonge, its maturing cellars — and selects cheeses from numerous regions of France, as well as Italy and Switzerland. It distributes through a network of 14 shops as well as by delivery in mainland France.
Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers · Tours
| Address | 91 All. de L’Auvergnat, 42370 Saint-Haon-le-Châtel, France |
| +33 4 77 64 40 79 | |
| mons-fromages.com | |
| Facebook page | |
| @mons_fromager_affineur | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2018. |
