Extra Aged Appenzeller, Black Label, comes from the Appenzellerland region of northeast Switzerland, where about 75 dairies have been making this cheese with their own secret brine recipes for at least 700 years. Black Label is the longest-aged tier of the three, sitting above the Silver (Classic) and Gold (Surchoix) labels. It's a thermized cow's milk Alpine, semi-hard to hard depending on how it sits with you, with a firm body, a slightly crumbly edge, and tiny "eyes" scattered through a straw-colored paste. The character of this cheese is the herbal brine wash that gets brushed on the wheels throughout aging, sometimes carrying a little wine or cider in the recipe. That brine builds the golden rind and pulls a real piquancy into the paste. Aged six months or more, the Black Label leans deeply nutty and aromatic, with a tangy bite up front and a finish that hangs on with hay, herbs, and a whisper of sharpness. Shave it over warm potatoes and it does the same thing in a hot dish, that herbal sharpness coming right through.
