The Vergnol family are staunch defenders of Fourme d’Ambert farmhouse cheese. The Auvergne, France’s most rural region, maintains many traditional farming practices while also hosting large, quasi-industrial structures. This contrast is evident in its PDOs, where both small farmers and large dairies operate under the same name.
The Vergnol family, farm producers in the Puy-de-Dôme region near the Puy de Sancy, have a long history in cheese-making. The history of Fourme d’Ambert itself dates back to Gallo-Roman times. Their Fourme d’Ambert fermière features a granite-like appearance with ochre pigmentations, a smell reminiscent of a damp cellar, and dough inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti, creating discreet, well-distributed molds. On the palate, the cheese offers subtle mushroom aromas with vegetal notes of undergrowth and humus, all supported by a soft creaminess. This cheese is one of the mildest blues available.
