We all know & love Vermont Creamery for their dedication to providing consciously crafted goat cheese to the American market. Their aged selections are always hits for us and Cremont is no different. Named for the “Cream of Vermont,” Cremont is a perfectly sized round of cow’s & goat’s milk that ensures decadence & deliciousness. Its super delicate wrinkly rind covers a fudgy paste that ripens from the outside in leading to a silky creamline – if you can resist eating it for that long.
Cremont has that classic goat-y tang on the finish, but not before you get the mouth-coating richness of sweet cream and butter. Creme fraiche and a welcome hazelnuttiness are there to play too and it’s just about impossible to stop once you’ve started. Cremont’s perfect little cylindrical package makes it a go-to centerpiece for any cheese board or grazing plate you may be tossing together this season; add in local Nantucket honey & serve with a seedy, hearty crackers (Fine Cheese Co. apricot, pistachio, & sesame seeds toasts anyone?) and you’re set to jet, 40 degree temps be damned.
We’re keeping things domestic today with a sweet little package from Stolpman Vineyards in Ballard Canyon, California. Love You Bunches Rosé is mostly Grenache, with a smooch of Syrah & Mourvedre and is just what I’m hoping for when I open a bottle of rosé. Bunches is a part of Stolpman’s So Fresh portfolio, a family of wines that are made to focus on acidity, purity, and freshness which is the ideal scenario for a springtime sipper with goat cheese, IMO.
Its watermelon hue could lead one to assume that it’ll be a sticky sweet sloggy juice, but as we always say – don’t judge a rosé by its color! Bunches is certainly fruit forward, but is as fresh as they come. Crunchy red fruit aromas leap out of the glass while strawberry and firm peaches dance on the palate. Refreshing acidity rounds out the mouthful and pops of refreshing mint show up just when we want them. This explosion of fruit and acid combo is just what we’re looking for for a Cremont partner – mingling with the richness and keeping our palates alive & searching. All in all, we’ve got sunshiny days in this pairing; enough to tide us over until we get to the real thing.