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AOC — PDO — Rhône-Alpes
A cheese born of a Savoyard peasant ruse — the "second milking" concealed from the landowner — that became the creamy soul of tartiflette and the alpine pastures of Haute-Savoie.
Uncooked pressed cheese from Rhône-Alpes, PDO (AOP) since 1996.
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Reblochon carries within it the ingenuity of medieval Savoyard peasants. In the 13th century, in the valleys of Thônes in Haute-Savoie, farmers had to pay a fee — the droit d'ociège — to the owner of the pastures, most often a monk or a nobleman; a tax calculated on the number of pots of milk produced by the herd in a single day. The farmers had an idea: carry out an incomplete milking when the inspector called, then perform a "second milking" immediately after he had departed. The milk from this clandestine milking, less abundant but far richer in cream, was ideal for cheese-making. Thus Reblochon was born, from the Savoyard verb "reblocher" — to pinch the cow's teats a second time.
This fraud, elevated to the status of a terroir product, has become a gastronomic legend. The very name of the cheese immortalises this rustic cunning, a reminder that it is the fruit of the richest milk, won by outwitting the landowners.
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For centuries, Reblochon remained a cheese for local consumption, produced on the farm by peasants. With the expansion of the railways, tourism, and winter sports, its fame quickly spread to the rest of France. As early as 1958, an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was granted to it — early recognition of the tradition's antiquity — before this AOC became a PDO (AOP), the label created at European level in 1996.
Today, Reblochon is world-famous thanks to a dish invented in the 1980s: tartiflette. The word itself emerged during this period, coined by the Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Reblochon to boost sales of a cheese whose consumption was still largely regional. This simple, comforting gratin of potatoes, lardons, onions, and melted Reblochon quickly became the cheese's ambassador to skiers and tourists.
The PDO zone for Reblochon is restricted to the valleys of the Aravis massif, in Haute-Savoie and on the edge of the Val d'Arly in Savoie. Thônes and La Clusaz are the two key villages of this tradition. La Clusaz, in particular, has become a stronghold of Reblochon fermier — its producers won three medals (two gold, one silver) in the Reblochon fermier category at the Concours Général Agricole 2026.
Appearance
Flat cylinder of 450–550 g, thin, regular washed rind ranging from yellow to orange-yellow, covered wholly or in part by a fine, short white bloom
Aroma
Mild and milky, with grassy and floral alpine notes, especially in the fermier version
Taste
Fruity and milky, a hint of hazelnut, mild and melting, with a touch of fresh butter
Texture
Barely firm, homogeneous, supple, and unctuous paste, cream to ivory-yellow in colour, which may feature small openings
Reblochon exists in two distinct forms:
made on the farm by the producer themselves, by hand, from the warm milk of a single herd, twice daily (morning and evening). Rarer, with a more pronounced flavour.
made from the milk of several farms, in a cooperative or dairy, using a process that can be mechanised. More accessible, with a milder flavour.
temperature between 30 and 35 °C, setting time of ten to twenty minutes.
the curd grain, the size of a grain of wheat to a grain of maize, is reheated without exceeding 35 °C.
by hand with fine salt, or in brine with a density greater than 1130.
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Reblochon is best enjoyed warm or at room temperature. Removed from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving, its paste becomes more melting and expressive. On a Savoyard cheeseboard: alongside a Crottin de Chavignol for contrast, or a Beaufort to stay within the family of great cheeses. In cooking, it slips discreetly into a tartiflette or stretches into a white sauce over puff pastry. Wine pairings: Roussette de Savoie (dry white wine), Apremont (another local white), Mondeuse rouge de Savoie for the adventurous.
Since: 1958
Area covered: Aravis — Haute-Savoie and Val d'Arly (Savoie)
Key requirements: Raw, whole milk mandatory, Abondance/Montbéliarde/Tarentaise breeds
Since: 1996
Area covered: Aravis — Haute-Savoie and Val d'Arly (Savoie)
Key requirements: Diameter approx. 14 cm, weight 450–550 g, min. 15 days maturation from renneting, fermier (green) or laitier (red) disc
Trade association
Artisan cheesemaker
Dairy cooperative
Co-operative
Farmhouse farm collective
GAEC
EARL
GAEC
GAEC
GAEC
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The cooperative recounts that it was founded in 1971, with nineteen members and two employees, and established itself in Thônes in 1976. A first Tomme and Raclette workshop was set up there in 1978; refitted in 1983, it enabled the processing of four thousand litres of milk per day according to the dairy, and that same year a technician post was created to monitor farmhouse production. According to the website, the retail shop and visitor tour route date back to 1987.
A division of labour lies at the heart of its model: farmhouse cheeses are made on the farm by member producers, whilst the cooperative handles the affinage, providing customised quality monitoring for each. It states that it was created specifically to pool these resources—maturing, sales, quality control—in order to preserve traditional on-farm production.
Its cellars are unlike any other: in 2007, the cooperative acquired a four-hundred-metre former railway tunnel between Samoëns and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, on a line closed to traffic in 1959. The tunnel had initially served as a mushroom farm, then as a curing house, before an affineur moved in and the cooperative began having its cheeses matured there on contract. It has since equipped the tunnel (electricity, shelving, loading bay) and presents it as one of the last natural cellars in the region.
Lastly, the cooperative runs a direct-sales shop at 40 Avenue d'Annecy in Thônes, open Monday to Saturday and on Sunday mornings.
Lyon
Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers · Tours
| Address | 40 Av. d'Annecy Za, 74230 Thônes, France |
| 04 50 02 05 60 | |
| reblochon-thones.com | |
| Facebook page | |
| Visits | Yes (shop + factory tours by appointment) |
|
Part of the production is certified organic, since 2007. |
