Helloooo last week of April! With Daffy in the rear view, and May right around the corner, we are simply on the precipice of the season. While we are brimming with anticipation, we’re looking for a pairing that rings in all the celebratory energy we feel around the island this time of year. Enter Alta Langa’s La Tur – a three milk super creamy classic that should have its place on many a cheese board throughout the warm months. Alta Langa is a family creamery that has been churning out stunning cheeses from Italy’s Piemonte region since 1881 – plenty of time to truly master the craft. As they continue to grow and develop, they maintain the focus on small herds & milk quantities as well as the harmony between people, tradition, and technology.
La Tur requires a particularly human touch – it’s extra delicate and creamy texture requires hand processing of the curds and super gentle, long maturation. You can’t rush perfection. The result is a charming little cupcake of a cheese with a delicate rind and nearly liquid creamline. The combination of cow, sheep, and goats milk coats the palate with its rich flavor profile. The sweetness of cream and butter is complemented by some acidic yeast flavors toward the end. The fullness of flavors is enveloping without getting too pungent or allowing any of that affronting barnyard that can occasionally accompany soft three milk cheeses.
What’s better for celebrating than bubbles? Nothing, that’s what. Luckily, La Tur’s natural companion is anything with effervescence that helps clean the palate & prepare it for more cheese snacking. Enter RBL Brut Nature from I Clivi. This bottle of sparkling Ribolla Gialla from Slovenia-adjacent Friuli, Italy is just what we’re hoping for when we opt for a decadent cheese like La Tur. Father-son team Fernando & Mario Zanusso tend their vineyard with delicate care, linking the grower, their vision, and the wines in perfect harmony. Mario deems their mission to let the history of the terroir speak through the wines they produce – this means light treading in both the vineyard and the cellar. They work in a “nothing added, nothing taken away” style, trusting the traditions of the region to guide them.
RBL is made in methode ancestral, but offers all the complexity and delicacy of a fine grower champagne. It’s bone dry with the slightest tone of brioche on the front, which then opens to a bouquet of mineral driven white flowers. Notes of salty sea air and lemony shine envelop the palate with and are all drawn back in by a clean, precise finish. This beauty is a real treat and is sure to please even the most persnickety champagne drinkers without having to drain your piggy bank. RBL is celebration and delight in a glass. It raises spirits with levity and ancient tradition, a perfect addition to the first of many beach picnics, or any other joyous occasion that may come your way this spring.