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AOC — PDO — Centre-Val de Loire
The "Eiffel Tower of Berry" — slender, ashen, soaring, it rises from the ponds of the Brenne like a caprine sentinel. The first goat's cheese to obtain an AOC in France, it alone embodies five centuries of peasant know-how in the limestone valleys and forests of Indre.
Goat’s cheese from Centre-Val de Loire, PDO (AOP) since 1996.
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Pouligny-Saint-Pierre was born in one of the most singular regions of France: the Parc naturel régional de la Brenne, in the department of Indre, on Jurassic clay-limestone plateaux. This land of forests, heathlands and dry meadows, with a climate warmer and drier than its surroundings, is well suited to goat farming — long the "poor man's cow" of these modest agricultural lands. On almost every farm, a few goats were kept, entrusted to the care of women and grandmothers, to make cheeses for the family and for sale on local markets.
The cheese's sharply tapered pyramidal shape was inspired — according to local tradition — by the silhouette of the church bell tower in the village of Pouligny-Saint-Pierre. This unique shape, which earned it the nickname of the "Eiffel Tower of Berry", has become the cheese's inimitable signature: a square base, a flared top around 2.5 cm on each side, for a height of approximately 12.5 cm. There are only two official sizes: the large (250 g) and the small (150 g).
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Originally, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre was a farmhouse production intended primarily for the family and local markets. Yet the cheese's quality soon travelled beyond the borders of Berry: from the early 18th century, it was enjoyed on the markets of Paris, Limoges, Châteauroux and Lyon. Collector-affineurs gradually organised to gather the cheeses and supply these markets, ensuring its distribution beyond Berry.
In 1969, local producers decided to defend their cheese collectively by founding the Syndicat des producteurs de Pouligny-Saint-Pierre. Three years later, by decree of 14 January 1972, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre officially became the first French goat's cheese to receive an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. This early recognition speaks volumes about how conscious the Brenne producers were of the uniqueness of their terroir. European PDO status followed in 1996. In 2022, the appellation celebrated its 50th anniversary.
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The territory of the Pouligny-Saint-Pierre PDO is exceptionally concentrated: just 22 communes, all located in the west of the department of Indre and entirely within the Parc naturel régional de la Brenne. This area is one of the smallest in France for a cheese PDO. A restricted perimeter that reflects the producers' conviction that the link to the Brenne terroir is inseparable from the flavour of the cheese. A Pouligny-Saint-Pierre cannot be produced anywhere else; at most, one can only imitate its shape.
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is distinguished by its slender silhouette: around 12.5 cm high for just 250 g in the large size. This sharply tapered pyramid with a square base develops two distinct profiles over the course of maturation, depending on whether the rind remains ivory-white or turns bluish.
Appearance
Vermiculated rind, ivory-white with a marbled appearance, which can become slightly bluish with maturation.
Aroma
Caprine and mushroom notes.
Taste
Balanced, without excess saltiness or acidity, with caprine, mushroom and hazelnut notes; tangy and showing dried fruit notes with white maturation, fuller-bodied with blue maturation.
Texture
Creamy and melting, firm paste when cut, clean, homogeneous and smooth in appearance.
| Format | Weight | Dimensions | Minimum maturation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large | 250 g | ~12.5 cm high, top 2.5 cm on each side | 10 days (on sale from the 11th day) |
| Small | 150 g | Proportional | 9 days (on sale from the 10th day) |
Raw, whole milk from goats of the Alpine, Saanen or Poitevine breeds, or their crosses
Renneting with rennet between 18 and 22 °C; slow, predominantly lactic coagulation of at least 18 hours
Manual filling of the pyramidal moulds with a ladle, without pressing
24 to 48 h in the mould, at a room temperature of 18 to 24 °C
Salting with dry salt within 12 hours following unmoulding
Drying 24 to 96 h (12–16 °C), then maturation in the hâloir between 9 and 16 °C, relative humidity 75–95 %
Verification of analytical and organoleptic criteria before marketing
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Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is best enjoyed at room temperature, taken out of the refrigerator a few minutes before serving. Young and white, it pairs well with many dishes or enhances a green salad with hazelnut oil; matured and bluish, it is best savoured on its own, at the end of a meal on a cheeseboard.
Wine pairings: The classic pairing is with a dry, fruity white wine from the slopes of the Cher and the Loire — white Reuilly or Sauvignon de Touraine.
Since: 1972
Area covered: 22 communes of Indre (36) — heart of the Parc naturel de la Brenne
Since: 1996
Area covered: 22 communes of Indre (36) — heart of the Parc naturel de la Brenne
Key requirements: Raw goat's milk, lactic curdling, mandatory truncated pyramid shape, maturation min. 10 days (large) / 9 days (small), min. 45% fat in dry matter
France's first goat's cheese AOC (decree of 14 January 1972), Pouligny-Saint-Pierre obtained European PDO (AOP) recognition in 1996. Two formats coexist: the large (250 g, approximately 12.5 cm in height) and the small (150 g), both in the shape of a truncated pyramid — a form required by the product specification.
Cheese farm — agricultural college farm
GAEC — family farm
Cheese farm — Perrin family
EARL — family farm
Dairy cooperative
EARL
Get listed and reach more lovers of regional produce.
Request a listingGAEC — family farm
The farm describes itself as being run by three partners, Séverine, Thierry Reulier, and Laurent Moreau, established since 2004 in Les Auzannes, Fontgombault (Indre), with a herd of 140 goats on 28 hectares. It states that it processes all the milk produced there, mainly into Pouligny-Saint-Pierre PDO (AOP), as well as tomme de chèvre, yoghurts, crottins, bûches, and fresh cheese. It also indicates that all of its production has been certified organic since 1 January 2022.
| Address | 36220 Fontgombault, France |
| 09 61 53 30 91 | |
| pouligny-saint-pierre-aop.fr | |
| @cabrioles36 | |
| Visits | Yes — direct sales at the farm (hours to be confirmed) |
|
All production is certified organic, since 2020. |
