Here’s a tip for even better cheese: Unwrap your cheese and leave at room temperature for about an hour before serving to bring out flavors and aromatics.
Psst! Our 12 Days of Cheese sale is LIVE! From 12/13 –12/31 Prime members get 30% off, 22% without Prime.
1. Hervé Mons Gabietou
A decadent blend of sheep and cow milks from the high mountain pastures of southwestern France. The cheeses are produced from November to July each year and sent to Hervé Mons for expert affinage. Semi-soft, this cheese has a supple, light straw-colored paste with occasional eyes and a golden-orange rind. The flavor is dense with rich tones of fruit and balanced earthy mushroom.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Croccantini Crackers
Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Cherry Cranberry Cabernet Jam
Charcuterie: Gusto Genoa Salami
Wine: Criterion Pinot Noir*
Beer: BRLO Winter Cider*
Cocktail: Whiskey Sour made with Bulleit Bourbon*
2. Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt Tam
A true American original, Mt Tam is a luscious triple crème-style soft-ripened made from organic cow’s milk in Marin County, California. The flavor profile ranges from a clean, lactic quality reminiscent of crème fraiche and salted butter when it is young to woodsy, mushroomy and earthy when it has fully ripened. Complex and nuanced at any stage of its life, Mt Tam has something for everyone.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Sel Gris Flatbread
Accoutrement: Dalmatia Imports Fig Chili Jam
Charcuterie: Creminelli Prosciutto
Wine: Wander and Ivy Chardonnay*
Beer: New Belgium Trippel*
Cocktail: French 75 Cocktail made with Hendrick’s Gin*
3. Neal’s Yard Dairy Keen’s Farmhouse Cheddar
Farmstead, raw milk, fifth generation cheddar from the Keen’s family in England since 1899. The cows spend most of their time grazing in lush, green pastures producing grass-fed milk that travels only 50 yards from parlor to production. Dense, yet creamy, complex and rich. Hand-bandaged and larded. Subtle nuances in flavor daily.
Pair It With
Cracker: 34 Degrees Original Crisps
Accoutrement: Mediterranean Market by Divina Castelvetrano Tapenade
Charcuterie: Gusto Genoa Salami
Wine: Wander and Ivy Cabernet Sauvignon*
Beer: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale*
Cocktail: Manhattan made with Basil Hayden Bourbon*
4. Vermont Creamery St. Albans
St. Albans is a uniquely American take on the traditional French St. Marcellin. It’s an aged cows’ milk cheese and takes its name from the town of St. Albans, Vermont. Hand-shaped and aged for eleven days, these delicate cheese disks are packaged in sturdy ceramic crocks that double as a baking vessel. Once heated, it’s perfect for drizzling on a baked potato or roasted corn on the cob.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Sel Gris Flatbread
Accoutrement: Sabatino Tartufi Truffle Honey
Charcuterie: Creminelli Prosciutto
Wine: Wander and Ivy Chardonnay*
Beer: Brouwerij Verhaeghe Chocolate Cherry Sour*
Cocktail: French 75 made with Hendrick’s Gin*
5. Jasper Hill Farm Jacques Bardelot Champagne-Washed Harbison
Soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Vermont made exclusively for Whole Foods Market with our very own Jacques Bardelot Champagne. Made in the tradition of famed Vacherin Montd’Or from Switzerland, released every fall as the cows move to a diet of hay. Harbison comes with a spruce wrap to hold in its custard-like paste that is redolent of pine resin and grass with a profoundly savory finish reminiscent of mushrooms and cultured butter. Rich and creamy but spectacularly complex.
Pair It With
Cracker: Sea Salt Potato Chips
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese
Charcuterie: Creminelli Prosciutto
Wine: Jacques Bardelot Champagne Brut*
Beer: New Belgium Trippel*
Cocktail: French 75 made with Hendrick’s Gin*
6. Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
Soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from California. The Original American Original conceived in a dream (yes, really) by founder Mary Keehn, this masterpiece paved the way for soft-ripened goat cheese in America. Each handcrafted wheel features a distinctive ribbon of edible vegetable ash. You’ll enjoy buttermilk, fresh cream, complemented with floral notes, herbaceous overtones, and clean citrus finish. As Humboldt Fog matures, the cream line develops, and the flavor intensifies.
Pair It With
Cracker: 34 Degrees Original Crisps
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese
Charcuterie: Creminelli Varzi
Wine: Matanzas Creek Winery Chenin Blanc*
Beer: Allagash Ski House Seasonal*
Cocktail: French 75 made with Hendrick’s Gin*
7. Papillon Roquefort Révélation
The king of blue cheeses, Roquefort hails from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France; the mold that gives the cheese its distinctive blue veins is native to Roquefort’s caves where the cheese is aged. Roquefort was one of the first cheeses to achieve an AOC designation in 1925. Made only from raw Lacaune sheep’s milk, Roquefort is considered the seminal blue cheese. Its texture is full-bodied, smooth and velvety. While Roquefort has the reputation of being an assertive blue cheese, we love it for its peppery, spicy profile with notes of anise, chocolate and a funky, lingering finish that leaves you wanting more.
Pair It With
Cracker: 34 Degrees Original Crisps
Accoutrement: Casa Forcella Pear Rosemary Compote
Charcuterie: Gusto Genoa Salami
Wine: Pont d’Aulan Semillon Sauternes*
Beer: Brouwerij Verhaeghe Chocolate Cherry Sour*
Cocktail: Martini made with Tito’s Vodka*
8. FireFly Farms Cabra La Mancha
Semi-soft goat’s milk washed-rind cheese from Maryland. Inspired by cheeses produced in the Pyrenees mountains of northern Spain’s Basque region. Over its 90 day aging period, Cabra LaMancha is hand washed, dry brushed and flipped countless times until they're ready. Nutty, savory, and approachable. Melts beautifully.
Pair It With
Cracker: 34 Degrees Original Crisps
Accoutrement: Dalmatia Sour Cherry Jam
Charcuterie: Creminelli Varzi
Wine: Wander and Ivy Rose Wine*
Beer: Allagash Ski House Seasonal*
Cocktail: Paper Plane made with Nonino L’Apertivo*
9. Point Reyes TomaRashi
Semi-firm cow's milk cheese produced in California. It is beautifully studded with a Japanese spice blend containing chili flakes, nigella, chili powder, orange peel, ginger powder and nori. The result is rich and buttery flavor balanced with gentle heat. Perfect for snacking and cooking.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Sel Gris Flatbread
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Honey for Cheese
Charcuterie: Olli Salumeria Calabrese
Sake: Tozai Living Jewel Sake*
Beer: Bitburger Pilsner*
Cocktail: Paper Plane made with Nonino L’Apertivo*
10. Emmi Kaltbach Cave-Aged Le Gruyère
One of our most popular 12 Days of Cheese offerings, Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère, a raw cow's milk cheese from Switzerland, remains a customer and team member go-to with good cause. Aged in sandstone caves for a minimum of 12 months, giving the wheels ample time to develop and mature to perfection while being aged and washed on spruce planks. The additional aging time for Kaltbach results in a more pronounced and distinctive character to the cheese, with profile that leans toward meaty and brothy, and a brown butter, toffee-sweet finish. Look for a hint of tyrosine crystals that give Kaltbach a pleasing crunch.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Croccantini Crackers
Accoutrement: Taza 70% Cocoa Puro Organic Disc
Charcuterie: Creminelli Prosciutto
Wine: Maison Champy Chablis*
Beer: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale*
Cocktail: Manhattan made with Basil Hayden Bourbon*
11. Ca De Ambros Taleggio
A semi-soft cow's milk cheese aged for just 45 days, Taleggio is produced in the northwest corner of Italy, outside of Milan. Look for the telltale signs of a washed rind with Taleggio – yeasty, funky and roasty, but also buttery, creamy and mellow. We love Taleggio’s chameleon-like ability to stand alone on a cheese board as much as we love adding it to pizzas, gratins and risottos. If you're new to washed rinds, look no further than Taleggio as an introduction.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Croccantini Crackers
Accoutrement: Mediterranean Market by Divina Castelvetrano Tapenade
Charcuterie: Tempesta Nduja
Wine: Monterustico Rosso*
Beer: BRLO Winter Cider*
Cocktail: Paper Plane made with Nonino L’Apertivo*
12. Marieke Truffle Gouda
Crafted from raw Wisconsin cow’s milk according to Dutch tradition, resulting in creamy wheels with a gently, nutty sweetness. The addition of earthy black truffles and truffle oil makes this cheese a special woodsy treat. Perfect for a cheese board and melts beautifully.
Pair It With
Cracker: 34 Degrees Original Crisps
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Honey for Cheese
Charcuterie: Creminelli Prosciutto
Wine: Underwood Pinot Nouveau*
Beer: Brooklyn Brewing Black Ops Stout*
Cocktail: Whiskey Sour made with Bulleit Bourbon*
13. Corcuera Campo de Montalban
From Toledo in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha Region, this cheese is minimum 40% sheep and goat milks and the remainder cow’s milk. Aged for 100 days. Texture is semi-firm but creamy with an ivory paste. Leader in mixed milk cheeses. Deep complexity and flavor profile due to varying batch milk percentages and the pastoral terroir. Balance of acidity and nuttiness with notes of salinity and sweet churned butter.
Pair It With
Cracker: Isnes Rosales Sweet Olive Oil Tortas
Accoutrement: Mitica Membrillo
Charcuterie: Olli Salumeria Calabrese
Wine: Wander and Ivy Red Blend*
Beer: Bitburger Pilsner*
Cocktail: Whiskey Sour made with Bulleit Bourbon*
*Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.
