Earl de Cazes Haut

From the Cant Cocut hill, the view stretches out to the distant ridge of the Pyrenees; at our feet lie the Teyssode Valley and the rolling hills, the checkerboard of fields—golden, ochre, or deep green, depending on the season: a true land of plenty…

Patricia Grimigni and Laurent Thomas raise Lacaune sheep to produce unique, exceptionally delicate cheeses, curdled and molded by hand. The cheeses are aged on boards made of Pyrenean pine.
Our sheep roam freely in this region, grazing on dactyl and bird’s-foot trefoil in the valleys, wild thyme on the sunny slopes, and bentgrass on the dry plateaus. They produce a creamy milk, rich with the flavors of our pastures, which we process entirely by hand, in keeping with pastoral traditions.
In our aging rooms, under the right conditions of time, temperature, and humidity, a fruity tomme, a soft and melt-in-your-mouth pérail, and the Saint Germier—subtle yet full-flavored—mature to perfection. Finally, by cooking fresh whey in large copper cauldrons, we produce a light and delicate brousse cheese, which, topped with sour cherry or cranberry jam, is a true delight for both the eyes and the palate.

Grab a walking stick and come for a leisurely stroll along the Roman Road between Massac and Puylaurens, in the shade of oak trees, to the sound of cowbells and the songs of larks, amid dry heaths and bountiful fields. And don’t be surprised if, at times as you round a bend in the path, you catch a faint hint of eternity in the shimmering air.

Introducing the lineup:

La Cheminée de Fée is a lactic-fermented, unpressed tomme, best enjoyed after 3 weeks. Surprising for its chalky texture at the center and creamy texture beneath the rind, it has a long finish and is flavorful without being overpowering on the palate.

Le Maonet is a small, creamy cheese shaped like a tile (maonet in Occitan), weighing between 150 and 175 g, which you can age to your liking and which develops more character as the days go by—if you can manage to wait...

Le Pavé Frais: This is a fresh cheese, weighing about 350 g, made with lactic curd, which brings out all the flavors of good sheep’s milk. It is flavored with your choice of spices: pink peppercorns, three peppers, or rosemary.
Flavor profile: Le Pavé Frais is similar to feta, but fresher and less salty.
Serving suggestions: in a salad, with AOC olive oil

Lou Pastre d’en Cazo Naut (the shepherd of Cazes-Haut), our latest specialty, is, with its melt-in-your-mouth texture, halfway between a tomme and a Saint Germier. A soft cheese with a washed rind (water and salt), its color ranges from pinkish beige to brick orange depending on the batch. Rather mild when young, its flavors become more pronounced after a month of aging, giving it nutty aromas and a rich, full-bodied taste that envelops the entire palate and lingers on the tongue.
Flavor notes: In terms of its texture, Lou Pastre is reminiscent of farmhouse Saint-Nectaire, while still expressing the characteristic flavors of sheep’s milk.
Serving suggestions: Pair with a good Gaillac wine, such as a dry white or a slightly sparkling white.

The Palet de Cant’Auriol (meaning “the song of the oriole” in Languedoc Occitan—many orioles return to Cazes-Haut in the spring) is a pérail weighing approximately 160 g. It is a soft cheese resulting from a long curdling process, with a bloomy rind (Geotrichum). Aged on racks, it develops its flavor within fifteen days and continues to develop its aromas and creaminess for two additional weeks.
Flavor profile: The Pérail is similar to a sheep’s milk “Rocamadour,” but larger.
Serving suggestions: Enjoy on the go with nothing more than some good, crisp white bread.

Le Saint Germier: one of our specialties! (Named after the hamlet where the farm is located; Geremarius was a 6th-century bishop of Toulouse.) It is a soft-textured cheese weighing about 350 g with a mottled rind. Aging takes place on racks and lasts between two and three weeks. The cheese completes its maturation on a spruce disc (a “faux-fond”). Its flavor is both delicate and full of character. It can be enjoyed fresh after two weeks or with a more robust flavor after up to two months.
Flavor comparisons: In terms of taste and texture, Saint Germier is similar to cheeses such as Reblochon, Munster, and Corsican Venaco.
Serving suggestions: Like tomme, it pairs well with good bread; it also melts beautifully, for example in a tartiflette.

Tomme de Cazes-Haut: Made from soft curd sliced very thinly with a lyre, our tomme is firmly pressed by hand. Removed from the mold twelve hours later and rubbed with coarse salt, it is left to ripen on wooden planks (Pyrenean Douglas fir). Its natural, waxy rind develops gradually as the cheese is turned—daily for the first eight days, then weekly. The tomme is available in several sizes (1 kg, 2 kg, and 3.5 kg) and comes in plain, pepper, or cumin varieties. Its flavor is subtle and fruity. Depending on the size, it is ready to eat after 4 to 6 months, or even up to 1 year of aging.
Flavor profile: somewhere between Pyrenean sheep’s milk tomme and Sardinian pecorino.
Serving suggestions: plain with good country bread and olives, or with table grapes and figs; in a raclette, with jacket potatoes and local charcuterie.

Cumin Tommette: This is the cumin-flavored variant of the Tomme de Cazes-Haut. Cumin, in addition to its extraordinary aroma, aids digestion. It also acts as a carminative.
Serving suggestions: as a light meal, with watermelon or cantaloupe, and country-style ham...

Pepper Tommette: This is the pepper-flavored version of the Tomme de Cazes-Haut. The pepper—organic, of course, from Southeast Asia—is incorporated during molding and releases its aroma during the aging process, deep within the cheese. A subtle and harmonious pairing…
Flavor comparisons: our Pecorino Pepato, which is milder than the Sardinian variety.

Barralet Fumat: It was following a 2012 visit to our fellow Goralski shepherds—sturdy mountain dwellers from the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland, deeply rooted in their pastoral traditions—that we returned with the idea of a smoked cheese, just as we had enjoyed it there, melted into a kind of local tartiflette—spicy and satisfying. A fresh tommette smoked over beechwood, to be enjoyed like oscypek—melted or as is, cut into small cubes, as an appetizer…

Sheep’s-milk brousse: it’s known as “recuite” in Aveyron (literally “ricotta” in Italian), “greuilh” in the Pyrenees, “broccio” in Corsica, and “serac” in Savoie. It is a whey cheese made by heating the whey left over after producing tomme. The proteins that remain in solution in the whey after the tomme is pressed coagulate at 85°C and form this airy curd, which resembles cottage cheese but is not the same thing. Brousse is used in many traditional Mediterranean recipes (pasta, fritters, pastries). Examples include fiadone (known as “flaune” in the Aveyron region), embrucciate, and ravioli with brocciu. Or simply on its own, with honey or cane sugar…

Animaux acceptés : Non

Sprache

• German
• English
• French
• Italian

• Organic Farming (AB)

Services

• Sales on site
• Sale on the markets
• Sale on collective point of sale