Saint Nectaire

Saint Nectaire comes from the village with the same name in Northern Auvergne in the heart of Dore Mountains amidst lakes and volcanoes in a region of untamed beauty. The pastures covering those extinct volcanoes are between 2500 to 4000 feet high. Saint Nectaire reveals all the qualities of the rich flora watered by thermal springs. The cheese is made after every milking and rennet must be introduced while the milk is still warm. Coagulation takes an hour. The resulting curds are broken into small grains, drained, freshly curdled, then poured into a mold and pressed to form a large round thick disk. Once removed from the mold, the cheese is salted on both sides and left to dry few days. Maturing generally takes place in old cellars excavated in chilly volcanic rocks (about 50° F). Saint Nectaires are frequently washed with brine. While hardening, the rind grows an all-over coat of various mold. This cure gives Saint Nectaire its pronounced characteristic odor of musty dead leaves and cavern-like aroma.
The leathery rind is colored by the different kind of bacteria developing their own color: white, gray, brown, orange and red. The aroma is like a damp cellar with earthy farmyard underfoot. The paste is pale yellow to warm straw with occasional tiny holes. The texture is soft, silky and supple with a little chewiness. The paste alone has a sweet and grassy aroma. It is not a salty cheese and has the full round complex flavor of unsalted butter and hazelnut, and is sometimes almost beefy.
This cheese was among the favorite cheeses of Louis XIV.

Only Saint Nectaire laitier is available in the US. The farmstead one, called fermier, is made with raw milk.

Cuisine: Saint Nectaire is found in a large number of hearty, substantial regional dishes like brioche au Saint Nectaire or Soupe de Noël. Use it in a sandwich with salumi, or for grilled cheese and savory pies.
Recipes: Crème brulée with chestnuts and Saint-Nectaire, Saint Nectaire and tomato mini-pies,
Serving: An ideal choice for cheeseboard
Accompaniment: Country or rustic bread, fruits, raw vegetables, olives and charcuterie
Wine Pairing: Pouilly Fumé, Saint Pourcin, Rhône valley wines, Bordeaux or Médoc wines (Pomerol, Saint Emilion, Saint Estephe), Montrachet, Bouzy or Chianti

Learn more about Saint Nectaire cheese: visit Saint Nectaire PDO cheese website






Saint-Nectaire Church dates from the 12th century. It contains a fine set of Romanesque capitals and a treasury of medieval art. learn more...