Manchego 1605

Producer

Finca Sierra La Solana

Country

Spain

Region

Castille-La Mancha

Size

8 in diameter x 6 in height

Weight

6 lbs

Website

Milk

Sheep

Treatment

Raw

Classification

Firm

Rennet

Animal

Photo by Georges Mewes Cheese, Edinburgh. 

Produced in Castile-La Mancha, in Spain, Manchego is probably the best known of the Spanish sheep's milk cheeses. It's a cheese with an incredibly longstanding tradition, with a production process that's been protected with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1984. Authentic Manchego can only be made exclusively from the whole milk of Manchega sheep raised in the La Mancha region. The cheese must be formed in esparto grass molds that imprint a zigzag pattern on its rind, while the small wooden boards used for pressing the cheese mark the Manchego's typical wheat ear pattern into the top and bottom of the wheels.

Despite the similarities regulated under the PDO, versions of Manchego can vary from farmhouse versions made with unpasteurized sheep's milk to industrial versions that can be made with either pasteurized milk. The 1605 version is a perfect example of the former—a farmstead cheese named for the year Cervantes wrote Don Quixote—produced by Finca Sierra La Solana. Farming since 1878, Finca Sierra La Solana cultivates vineyards, olive groves, and almond plantations, and herds 500 ewes to produce their version of the classic cheese. Manchego 1605 is aged six to nine months, allowing it to develop a slightly granular texture and earthy, caramel-y flavor.

Tasting Notes

Like a classic Manchego, 1605 has an earthy, savory flavor and pronounced acidity with a toothsome texture, but offers a complex mix of sweet notes of nutmeg and caramel. It is reminiscent of sugared almonds and a hint of hay with a long, lingering finish. 

Pairings

Manchego pairs extremely well with full-bodied, tannic red wines and a slice of fig-almond cake or a handful of fresh grapes.