Best Franc-Comtois Cheese Types
Comté is a big, hard cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk, with at least 45% fat and a pressed, cooked paste. Each cheese wheel is unique with numerous taste varieties that can range from milky, spicy, roasted to fruity, buttery or plant-like due to the fact the milk it is made from must be used immediately.
It is made in the Jura massif in the caves of Doubs, Jura and Haute-Saône departments in France. The maturation period lasts at least 120 days and it is turned and scrubbed regularly during the process. Comté also has a seasonal stamp, like winter, summer, mountain Comté or plains Comté.
THE BEST Comté Cheeses
Also known as Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, Mont d'Or is a soft cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Haut-Doubs region in France. What's unique about Mont d'Or's visual appearance is that it is encircled by spruce bark strips and packaged in a spruce wooden box that keeps the cheese in place.
It has a full, rich, sweet and grassy flavor and a slightly acidic taste. Its rind is not edible like in most other French cheeses, so it has to be removed to get to the creamy, runny, almost liquid inside, when fully ripe. As the cheese is already almost melting, it can be eaten like a fondue and enjoyed with sparkling wines.
THE BEST Mont d'Or Cheeses
Morbier is a soft cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk, produced in the French regions of Doubs, Jura, Ain, and Saône-et-Loire. The cheese is more than two centuries old. It is easily identifiable for its thin black layer of ash which goes through the center of the cheese.
For full maturation, it takes from 45 days to 3 months, and in that time the rind becomes yellow and moist. The flavor is rich and creamy, reminiscent of fresh hay, nuts and fruits, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Morbier also has numerous small holes dispersed throughout its body.
THE BEST Morbier Cheeses
Cancoillotte is a French cheese originating from the region of Franche-Comté. It is believed that this cow’s milk cheese with a thick and creamy texture first appeared more than 2,000 years ago in a region that was then called Séquanie – known nowadays as Haute-Saône.
Originally, the cheese was called fromage fondu (melted cheese) and fromage de femme (housewife’s cheese). The flavor of cancoillotte can best be described as acidic and buttery, with a strong fermented odor. It is recommended to heat it up with butter, wine, and garlic, then pour the combination over vegetables, cold cuts, or potatoes.
THE BEST Cancoillotte Cheeses
Vacherin is a group of cheeses made from cow's milk. There are two main types of Vacherin – one is Swiss, the other one French. The French one is called Mont d'Or or Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, while the Swiss one is called Vacherin Mont d'Or, and although the nomenclature is a bit tricky, the French one is made with raw milk while the Swiss one is made with thermized milk.
The cheeses come wrapped in spruce in order to contain the slightly melting, almost liquid interior. There's also a firmer Swiss cheese called Vacherin Fribourgeois, as well as the rich Vacherin d'alpage, made from the milk of cows that roam the alpine meadows.
VARIATIONS OF Vacherin
Mamirolle is a semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk that was first made in 1935 by students of the Ecole Nationale d'Industrie Laitiere in Mamirolle, France, hence the name. In 1996, the Éco-Délices dairy in Plessisville, Quebec also got the exclusive license to produce the cheese outside France.
Underneath Mamirolle's washed rind, the texture is supple, elastic, and chewy. The aromas are earthy and pungent, while the flavors are mild, fruity, salty, and sweet, with a rich buttery finish. The cheese is left to age from 3 to 4 weeks on wooden planks, and during the process it's washed with annatto.
Pair with
Bleu du Haut-Jura or Bleu de Septmoncel is a blue, uncooked and unpressed cheese made from the unpasteurized milk of two cow breeds. It has pale blue/green moldy veins dispersed throughout its soft, white/ivory colored body with a creamy, crumbly texture.
The rind must have the word Gex embossed on it. Its smell is intense and earthy, and it has a characteristically mild, acidic, nutty and buttery taste because it is, after all, one of the mildest French cheeses. Slightly spicy, peppery notes come from the blue veins.
Pair with
Édel de Cléron is a soft French cheese originating from the city of Cléron. It is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. The cheese matured for about three weeks, and it is then wrapped in cloth and bound with spruce bark strips, helping it to retain its shape and giving it a rustic, woody aroma.
On the exterior, it has a bloomy white rind, while the interior is creamy and runny in texture, so the cheese is often eaten with a spoon. Its flavor can best be described as earthy and mushroomy.
Best Franc-Comtois Cheese Producers
The Petite family has been involved in cheesemaking in the Jura Mountains since that time. In 1934, Marcel Petite expanded the family tradition by becoming an affineur, maturing and selling cheeses sourced from local fruitières. Today, the establishment offers a curated selection of traditional raw milk cheeses, including their renowned Comté, Morbier, Bleu de Gex, Mont d'Or, and Tome du Fort Saint-Antoine.
These cheeses are aged in their cellars located in Granges Narboz and the historic Fort Saint-Antoine, a former military fort repurposed in 1966 for cheese aging. Beyond cheeses, Crémerie Marcel Petite provides a variety of regional products and fine groceries, such as charcuterie, chocolates, honeys, biscuits, and absinthes.
BEST Cremerie Marcel Petite Cheeses
Fruitière du Pays Grandvallier is an agricultural cooperative located in Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux, at the heart of the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park. This cooperative unites 14 members (26 farmers) who collectively gather and process milk into traditional Jura cheeses such as Comté AOP, Morbier AOP, Raclette, and Tomme du Grandvaux.
Annually, they process about 6 million liters of milk, of which 91% is dedicated to producing Comté cheese, while the remainder is used for other cheeses. A significant portion of the products is sold to affineurs during the first month after production, while the rest is aged in their own cellars and sold directly through the cooperative's shop.
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
BEST Fruitiere Du Pays Grandvallier Cheeses
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2021
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
BEST Fromagerie Poitrey Cheeses
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
BEST JuraFlore - Fort des Rousses Cheeses
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
BEST Monts et Terroirs Cheeses
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
BEST Fromagerie de Gilley Cheeses
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
BEST Fromagerie d'Arinthod Cheeses
Best Franc-Comtois Cheeses
Raclette Fumée is a cheese made from raw cow's milk, produced using milk from Montbéliarde cows. Its soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and subtle smoky aroma make it ideal for traditional winter meals. It contains 20% milk fat. This cheese pairs wonderfully with white wines such as Chardonnay from Jura, Roussette from Savoie, Riesling from Alsace, or Sauvignon from the Loire Valley.
In addition to its classic use in raclette dishes, it is also excellent for pizzas and baked recipes.
La Marotte is a cheese crafted by Fruitière du Pays Grandvallier, located in Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux in the Jura region of France. This cheese stands out for its creamy texture and distinctive flavor profile, which balances mild, nutty undertones with a subtle hint of tanginess.
Made from high-quality milk sourced from local farms, La Marotte undergoes traditional production methods and careful aging to develop its rich and nuanced character. Its natural rind adds a rustic charm and enhances its depth of flavor, making it a versatile choice for cheese boards, cooking, or enjoying with a crisp white wine.
Comté, the leading cheese designation in terms of tonnage, obtained its AOC in 1958. This large-format, cooked pressed cheese is made every day in a dairy using raw milk from Montbéliarde cows: 400 litres of milk for a 40kg wheel. The Comté Marcel Petites come from fruit dairies, located mainly in mountainous areas.
These terroirs, the work of the men in the sector, make them Crus de Comté, offering a palette of remarkable richness and great diversity.
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
Cancoillotte is a traditional French cheese made by Fromagerie Poitrey, known for its smooth and runny texture. It is typically enjoyed warm, often served melted over potatoes or bread. The cheese is made from metton, a type of fermented milk curd.
Cancoillotte has a mild flavor with a slightly tangy edge. It holds a prominent place in the culinary heritage of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2021
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
AWARDS
World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
Morbier is a traditional French cheese made from raw cow's milk, distinguished by the characteristic black line of vegetable ash running through the middle of the cheese. This line dates back to a time when cheesemakers covered the morning curds with ash to protect them until the evening milk was added.
Today, the ash line is retained as part of tradition. Fromageries Marcel Petite produces Morbier in its local "fruitières" (cooperatives), using raw milk and traditional methods. The cheese is then carefully aged in their cellars in Granges-Narboz and Fort Saint-Antoine, where each wheel receives special attention to ensure optimal quality and a unique flavor.
AWARDS
Concours International de Lyon - Gold
2025
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