Dark Moon
- Producer
- Marin French Cheese
- Country
- United States
- Region
- California
- Size
- 2 ¼ in diameter x 1 ½ in height
- Weight
- 4 oz
- Website
- www.marinfrenchcheese.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Mold Ripened
Ashed - Style
- Soft-Ripened (Brie-like)
With a thin layer of ash poking out from underneath this cheese’s fuzzy bone-white rind, Marin French Cheese Company has added a layer of visual flair and a subtle vegetal aura to its ever-popular triple cream, brie-inspired Petite Crème.
Located just west of Petaluma in northern California, the company was founded in 1865 by Jefferson A. Thompson, largely as a response to the burgeoning demand for cheese arising from returning Gold Rush miners. Today it’s the oldest continuously operating creamery in the United States.
Milk for cheese production originally came from the company's own herds of cattle that grazed the 700 acres of land surrounding the creamery. But during the Great Depression, Marin French decided to focus its efforts entirely on production and try to support its neighbors by buying milk from local farms—an arrangement that continues today.
To create Dark Moon, fresh rounds of Petite Crème are hand-dusted with ash. During 10-14 days of aging a thin, white mold grows on the outside of the dusky layer, while a lovely creamline develops beneath it.
Tasting Notes
Intense notes of basement and mushroom on the nose are coupled with a mild, salty flavor and hints of cereals and vegetal aromas on the palate.
Pairings
Pair it with quince paste, toasted hazelnuts, a muscatel or a pinot noir.
