Avalanche Cabra Blanca

Avalanche Cheese Company in Colorado.

After selling her restaurant company in Houston, Texas, Windy Mitchel spent a year in Scotland traveling and learning how to make cheese. From there, she moved to Aspen, Colorado, where she noticed there wasn't a reliable source of local milk if she wanted to pursue her dream of making cheese. As a result, she and her husband bought a farm in Paonia where they could raise goats. With the help of many organic farmers in the area, Wendy got the hang of the farm side of the business and eventually opened a creamery in Basalt, Colorado. In 2008, milk from her dairy was used to make cheese in the creamery. Since then, Wendy has gone on to produce some of the finest goat cheeses in the country, winning many awards and gaining fans not just because Avalanche cheese is good, but also because she works hard and has become an integral part of the farm-to-table movement in her neck of the mountains.

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Basalt, Colorado is located between Glenwood Springs and Aspen at an elevation of 6,611 feet. There are many varieties of Avalanche cheeses being made at this high elevation including traditional chevre, goat cheddar, midnight blue and the one I sampled, Cabra Blanca.

Cabra Blanca is an all-around beautiful product. It's a semi-soft cheese with a thin natural rind that has all the intrigue and flavor of a cross between a bloomy and a wash rind. Perhaps this is due to the naturally occurring bacteria that develops during the aging process. Brevibacteriim Linens is the same bacteria some cheese makers add to their brine when making traditional wash-rind cheeses. Cabra Blanca cheese is shaped in a colander that ends up leaving the surface of the developing rind slightly craggy. The outer surface is also slightly sandy but not in an unappealing way. The rind looks tame compared to most wash-rind cheeses, but, in a similar fashion, there are some faint white, autumn-orange and tan spots. The overall appearance is light and angelic looking, though. As far as the taste of the slightly chewy rind, though it's mild, it's wonderfully earthy and mushroomy.

There is an obvious fresh milk smell that rises from the interior of the cheese, like when you stick your nose deep into a carton of milk and take a grand whiff. If you let your nose linger above the cheese long enough, a few very light sour notes will become apparent. The bouquet is slightly floral, but it's the milky smell that's most prominent.

Ahh, the aroma of fresh milk.

Right away I wanted to take a bite, so I did. And over the course of a few days, I suddenly became aware that I had chewed my way through an extra large wedge of cheese without realizing how quickly it was disappearing.

Cabra Blanca is a very mild cheese. Because it's not pressed, the interior is open and lacy. The texture is smooth, sticky and very slightly chewy. It has an almost squishy feel to it, and boy is is smooth, really smooth. It's also extremely well balanced with a subtle nutty flavor similar to blanched almonds. This is not like typical goat cheeses that pack a punch, but you can recognize it is a goat cheese. Cabra Blanca is super light and mellow. Even though the flavors are subtle, this little treasure is much more exciting than something like a low-moisture mozzarella, though I had visions of mild cheddar, young brie, chevre and mozzarella dancing in my head while I was sampling this one. It's far from bland is what I mean. Still, it's a very tame goat cheese.

Cabra Blanca from Avalanche Cheese Company.

Some claim there's a slight citrus flavor. I agree, but it's very faint. Since it lacks the kind of powerful tang that catches in the back of your throat that most goat cheeses offer, Cabra Blanca goes well with lighter foods, especially fruits. It's the perfect cheese to serve on an autumn afternoon with crisp, fresh apples and Stonewall Simply White crackers or 34 Degrees Natural Crispbread. Really, though, this is a cheese that is versatile, so you can do just about anything with it. Make grilled cheese sandwiches, eat it as a snack by itself or cook it in a pasta and pesto or even a tomato-based pasta dish. You can't go wrong no matter how you serve it.

Liquor Mart in Boulder has an outstanding selection of wines, beer, champagne and more.

Kevin Downs, Assistant wine manager at Liquor Mart in Boulder, Colorado, suggests the following pairings for this cheese:

Wine Pairing with Avalanche Cabra Blanca

The earthy, tangy flavor of chevre calls for a fruity, citrusy white as its perfect match. The classic match for this cheese is Sauvignon Blanc, and particularly one from the Loire Valley, e.g. Sancerre or Touraine. The Loire is home to some of the best goat cheese in the world and this is a classic example of “it goes where it grows”. Since this example of chevre is on the mellow side, I wouldn’t go with a New Zealand version of this wine because the strong flavors in the wine might overpower it. Chais St Laurent Sancerre or the Clos Roche Blanc Touraine, both around $20 are perfect matches, and for less money, try the “Les Jarriers” Touraine at $11.99.

Other whites that work quite well with this cheese are two Spanish varietals. Albarino, such as Burgans at $12.50 and Godello, such as Montenovo at $16.99, exhibit nice acidity, with wonderful floral and stone fruit notes that compliment the flavors of this cheese. A crisp dry Riesling also works well. Jim Barry’s Lodge Hill ($16.99) from Australia would be a good choice.

Rose’ is a good match, especially the delicate, dry and fruity examples from Provence. St Roche is a perfect choice at around $12.99 and Domain Salvard from (of course) the Loire Valley Appellation of Cheverny works wonderfully.

Finally if you must have red with this cheese, go with a light to medium, fruity red with light to medium tannins and a good acidity. A good Beaujolais, like the one from Kermit Lynch, works well, but my first choice would be a Caberet Franc from (where else?) the Loire Vally. Baudry Chinon ($19.99) and Domain Filliatreau Saumur ($16.99) would pair spectacularly with this cheese, the mild tang and nuttiness not being overwhelmed by the wine.

Wine and a good chevre. It doesn't get any better! Cheers!

Try Clos Roches Blanche Touraine Sauvignon Blanc with Cabra Blanca.