Ossau

Jean-Marc’s Ossau has a superb rind illuminated by brilliant beige and ochre tones, even purple.

The PDO appellation designates it as Ossau-Iraty, bringing together two ewe’s milk cheeses from the Béarn and Basque regions. Yet both are different, and in our view deserve to be distinguished.

For our part, we offer a farmhouse Ossau made with raw milk, crafted with love and passion by Jean-Marc Salies and his sons. Cheese shepherds, they respect ancestral traditions, and practice transhumance in summer to produce Ossau cheese in the mountains. Depending on the season, our cellars are home to sheepfold cheeses and summer cheeses.

A beautiful tomme weighing just a few kilos, Jean-Marc’s Ossau has a superb rind illuminated by brilliant beige and ochre, even purple, tones. The paste is ivory and yellow in places, firm and smooth, often with a few cracks. Pieces produced in winter and spring are distinguished by an eminently fruity taste, while summer pieces have a more rustic, dried hay aroma. There’s always a hint of mineral in the background. This is a cheese of unparalleled elegance, not to be confused with lesser productions that share the same name.