Sumi

Producer

Goat's Leap

Country

United States

Region

California

Size

4 ins sq base, 2 ins sq top, 3-4 ins high

Weight

8-10oz

Website

www.goatsleap.com

Milk

Goat

Classification

Semi Soft

Rennet

Animal

Rind

Mold Ripened

Located on the western slopes of the Napa Valley in California, Goat's Leap Cheese is owned by Barbara and Rex Backus, who moved there from Los Angeles in the 1970's.

Goat's Leap has built a deserved reputation for very high quality cheese from their small production and their herd of LaMancha goats. Over the years, they have developed excellent dairy and milking genetics in the herd, which have greatly helped other American LaMancha dairies improve their stock.

Goat's Leap is a seasonal dairy. Cheesemaking normally commences in April and lasts until late October or early November. The cheeses that Barbara makes also reflect the seasons. Every day, weather permitting, the goats are taken out onto the hillside above the house to browse the native California shrubs and bushes.

Barbara makes a variety of predominently younger, mold ripened cheeses in the tiny cheese room, just up the hill from the house.

What sets Barbara's cheeses apart is not just the flavor but their texture. Starting with very high quality milk, Barbara handles the curd for her cheeses with great dexterity that results in some of the finest, silkiest textures of any American cheeses on the market.

Sumi is named for one of Barbara's black LaMancha does - hence the ash coating on this cheese. Sumi has a wonderfully silky, fine texture and light, delicate citrus flavor. The cheese has a long, rich and balanced finish of hay, grass and St. Helena flora.

Inside, the cheese is firm and tangy with a long, rich, finish that develops after only two to six weeks of aging.