Briar Summit
- Producer
- Nettle Meadow Farm and Artisan Cheese
- Country
- United States
- Region
- New York
- Website
- www.nettlemeadow.com
- Milk
- Sheep
Cow
Goat - Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Mold Ripened
- Style
- Soft-Ripened (Brie-like)
- Flavor
- Flavor added to paste
This mountain-shaped cheese appropriately hails from near the Adirondack Mountains of New York, on a dairy run by Sheila Flanagan and Lorraine Lambiase. Nettle Meadow’s origins date back to 1993, when Raynald Hebert and his wife Laurie Goodheart transformed an old farmstead into a small cheesemaking facility and enough acreage to support approximately thirty goats. Its name was a reflection of the wild nettles and herbs that made up the goats’ diet.
Twelve years after its founding, the farm was sold to Flanagan and Lambaise, both of whom had been living in California and were seeking a complete change of direction. Since 2005 they have worked extensively to expand the operation. Now spanning 75 acres, it is home to over 360 Alpine, Nubian, Saanen and mixed breed goats, several dozen East Freisian sheep and a variety of other farm animals currently cared for by the farm’s sanctuary. In 2017, estimated cheese production will be about 150,000 pounds of cheese. Sheila and Lorraine are passionate supporters of the farming lifestyle, the human care of animals and artisan cheese and run the farm with the assistance of Shiela’s mother Joan together with eighteen employees.
During an uneventful food show several years ago, Sheila Flanagan’s mind began wandering. “To keep myself entertained,” she remembers, “I was thinking about how I might add a creamy twist to our three-milk cheese.” The resulting pyramid—Briar Summit—combines milk from the farm’s own goats and sheep along with cow’s milk and cream from nearby Willow Marsh Farm. In tune with their reputation for unique flavorings, Flanagan and partner Lorraine Lambiase add raspberry leaf tea to the milk when pasteurizing.
Tasting Notes
The bloomy rind isn’t fruity, but its lush creaminess carries whispers of the woods and herbal notes from the briar patch. New York’s Bedford Cheese Shop owner Charlotte Kamin appreciates the pyramid’s delicateness. “The infusion of tea is like a waft of flowers as opposed to an aggressive perfume.”
Pairings
Briar Summit is best savored without embellishment alongside an effervescent, traditional dry Champagne.
