Valdeon

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills | Domenico's Foods Verified independent store

→

Valdeón is a blended cow's and goat's milk blue from the Picos de Europa in Castilla y León, Spain, with IGP protection tying the recipe to its mountain home. The paste is semi-sof t and a little fudgy, with blue veins running heavy through a pale ivory body. Wheels are pierced young so the Penicillium roqueforti can breathe through the cheese, then wrapped in sycamore leaves and tucked into the cool, humid caves of the region for a couple of months. On the palate it opens with a buttery, salt-forward entry, then the blue veining kicks in with a confident peppery bite that pulls back into a long, savory finish. More assertive than a Gorgonzola Dolce, less feral than a Cabrales, sitting right in the sweet spot for someone who wants a serious Spanish blue without going all the way to the deep end. The leaf wrap is the giveaway on the counter and part of why this cheese is worth knowing, it keeps the paste moist and gives the rind that mottled, foraged look that says mountain cheese before you've even cut into it. Show more