Le Tastevin Wine Club - Notes on Cheeses – October 14, 2026

The cheeses were sourced from The Cheese Lady, and the epis and baguettes from Give a Thanks bakery, both in Rochester, Michigan. The demi epi bagette style, shaped like a wheat stalk (pain d'épis), is both beautiful and practical - perfect for tearing apart and sharing. In general, the cheeses this evening are softer and milder to better pair with tonight's wines.

Grand Noir is a premium German blue cheese made by Käserei Champignon in the Allgäu region of Bavaria. It’s one of the most distinctive modern blue cheeses thanks to its jet‑black wax rind, cold‑ripening method (“Affinage Noir”), andexceptionally creamy, butter‑forward texture.

  • Country: Germany (Allgäu, Bavaria)
  • Milk: Pasteurized cow’s milk
  • Rennet: Microbial (vegetarian‑friendly)
  • Lactose-free: Yes (below 0.1 g/100 g due to natural maturation)
  • Texture: Semi‑soft, buttery, smooth
  • Appearance: Pale ivory paste with bold blue veining, wrapped in black wax
  • Flavor: Sweet cream → buttery → savory blue → gentle peppery finish; bold but not sharp.

How it’s made. Grand Noir is ripened using a special cold‑maturation technique called Affinage Noir, which encourages selected cultures to develop its dark blue marbling and ultra‑creamy consistency. The wax rind traps moisture, giving the cheese its signature lush texture.

Rock Star from Snowdonia Cheese Company is one of the most polished modern British cheddars — a cave‑aged, clothbound, deeply savory cheese that sits stylistically between traditional Somerset cheddar and Alpine mountain cheese. If you like Milton Creamery’s clean Midwestern cheddar or the big European wheels you’ve been exploring, Rock Star is a great bridge.

Core Identity

  • Producer: Snowdonia Cheese Company (Wales)
  • Style: Cave‑aged, clothbound cheddar
  • Milk: Cow’s milk
  • Aging: ~18 months in Welsh caves
  • Texture: Firm, flaky, crystalline, slightly crumbly
  • Flavor: Intense savory depth, toasted nuttiness, caramelized dairy, minerality from cave aging

Rock Star is one of Snowdonia’s “serious” cheeses — unlike their flavored lineup (Red Storm, Black Bomber, etc.), this one is a true artisan cheddar with real cave influence.

Flavor & Structure
Initial: Sharp cheddar acidity, bright and clean Mid‑palate: Brown butter, toasted grain, slight sweetness Finish: Mineral, earthy, with small tyrosine crystals and a lingering savory bite Overall: More complex than typical block cheddar; closer to a hybrid of aged cheddar + Comté + aged Gouda
How It’s Made

  • Clothbound wheels aged in natural caves
  • Humidity + airflow create slow, even maturation
  • Cave environment adds earthy, mineral notes you don’t get from industrial aging
  • Crystals form naturally as proteins break down over long aging

This is why Rock Star tastes “older” and more complex than its 18‑month age suggests.

Black Pepper Cheddar from Milton Creamery (Iowa) is one of the most reliable flavored cheddars in the Midwest artisan scene — clean, sharp, and studded with cracked black pepper that actually tastes like peppercorns, not “pepper flavoring.” Since you’ve been exploring cheeses pretty deeply, here’s the full technical profile.

  • Producer: Milton Creamery (Milton, Iowa)
  • Milk: Cow’s milk (mostly from small Amish and Mennonite family farms)
  • Style: Aged cheddar with cracked black pepper
  • Texture: Firm, sliceable, slightly crumbly
  • Flavor: Bright cheddar tang, buttery mid‑palate, real pepper bite that builds but doesn’t overwhelm

Milton’s cheddars are known for being clean, lactic, and honest — no artificial heat, no muddiness. The peppercorns are cracked, not ground, so you get bursts of spice rather than a uniform “pepper dust” flavor.

How It’s Made

  • Traditional cheddar make: curd cutting, cheddaring, milling, salting
  • Peppercorns folded into the curd before pressing
  • Aged long enough to develop real cheddar acidity rather than the rubbery texture you get from young flavored cheddars
  • No artificial coloring; natural ivory paste

Flavor Breakdown

  • Initial: Clean dairy, mild tang
  • Mid‑palate: Butter, toasted grain, gentle salt
  • Finish: Cracked pepper heat, aromatic, slightly floral
  • Overall: Balanced — pepper supports the cheddar rather than dominating it

Page last updated: November 3, 2026 (EB)

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