Buchette Cheese | culture: the word on cheese
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Buchette

Producer
Laura Chenel’s Chèvre
Country
United States
Region
California
Size
4 in length x 1.5 in diameter
Weight
4.5 oz
Website
www.laurachenel.com
Milk
Goat
Treatment
Pasteurised
Classification
Semi Soft
Rennet
Microbial
Rind
Mold Ripened
Style
Soft-Ripened (Brie-like)
Buchette Cheese

Located in a state-of-the-art creamery in Sonoma, California, Laura Chenel's has been in operation since the late 1970s. Laura Chenel was one of a small group of women cheesemakers to spearhead the production of goat's milk cheeses in the United States. After nearly three decades of growing the business, Chenel sold her company in 2006 to French family cheese producers, Laiteries H. Triballat, who continue the tradition of Laura Chenel’s cheesemaking of both fresh and aged cheese.

Milk for production comes from family goat dairies located in the western United States. High quality milk is crucial to excellent cheese production and the company has very close relationships with their producers to ensure animal health, nutrition and general well being.

Buchette, meaning "small log" in French, is a delicate soft-ripened California original made in the style of C. geotrichum-rinded goat cheeses from the Loire Valley. The logs, reminiscent of French Bucheron, are either dusted in a layer of vegetable ash or left naturally to age. After aging for eight to 12 days, they are carefully wrapped in breathable film and packaged in small wood cups. 

Tasting Notes

Buchette has a strong, pungent scent reminiscent of clover honey and lemons. Texture is spreadable with an intensely gooey creamline beneath a fuzzy white rind, contrasting against a slightly chalky center. A tangy, sour, and salty taste yields lactic and citrusy notes. The ash-rinded version is milder with a more delicate tang.

Pairings

Pair Buchette with a buttery California chardonnay, a Sancerre, or a fruity IPA, all of which can stand up to its creamy texture. Both the original and ash-rinded versions are a go-to choice on a cheese board alongside a toasted baguette. 

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