Valencay

Valencay is a storied goat's milk cheese from Valencay, France.  It has an aggressive look about it, with its pyramidal shape and intensely moldy rind, but it is really quite a friendly and accessible cheese.

Cutting into that brilliant mold reveals a snow white, thick, sweet-smelling goat cheese paste.  I was really struck by the texture of this cheese - it is SO very dense that it has the texture of refrigerated butter, almost.  Very smooth, very rich, soft and yet almost firm.

The flavor is a delightful mix of the mildest aspects of goat cheese plus a lemony sweetness that reminds me almost of dessert.  This is a real stunner of a cheese that will blow your guests away with its refined taste and bold look. 

The story of Valencay cheese, incidentally, is that Napoleon stopped at Valencay Castle on his way back from a failed Egyptian campaign and noticed the pyramid-shaped Valencay cheese.  To avoid the painful associations, he lopped off the top of the cheese, making it a topless pyramid.

A delicious cheese with a rich history - you can't beat that.  I cannot recommend this cheese enough!