For hundreds, if not thousands, of summers, Basque shepherds have ascended into the Pyrenees Mountains in search of the lushest mountain pasture for their flock. The result? Stunning sheep and mixed milk tommes that are firm and durable enough for the journey back down. Anabasque, made year-round in Wisconsin, draws inspiration from this tradition and is stylistically in the same category, making it a sister cheese to those made in the Basque transhumance tradition. Yeasty and musky on the nose, from being lightly washed with brine, the cheese’s paste is rich and only slightly salty, with notes of apricot, citrus, and lanolin. The texture is smooth and sublime, reminiscent of young Manchego. Overall, Anabasque is a uniquely nuanced but approachable sheep’s milk cheese!
Recent Awards:ACS 2023, 1st Place Washed rind cheeses made from sheep’s milk
Shop our entire collection of sheep’s milk cheeses here.
