For the Paccards in Savoy, affinage is a family tradition passed down from father to son

The Paccard company from Savoy has built up its reputation by maturing Reblochon fermier. 17 out of the 40 producers they work with make it. They are matured to a creamy consistency on planks of spruce, in brick cellars.

Difficult to make out on the southern slope of Manigod village, at the heart of Aravis mountain range, in Haute-Savoie, lies the family dairy. The huge building where the cheeses are matured can easily be confused with the neighbouring chalets faced toward the Aravis mountain range and Tournette mountain. The Paccards foster the humility and discretion of the conscientious artisan producers.

The two brothers offer a range of cheeses from the Savoy region other than Reblochon: Tomme de Savoie fermière, Abondance fermière, Beaufort chalet d’alpage, Chevrotin, Bleu de Termignon, Persillé de Tignes, Persillé des Aravis, Tarentais (a farmhouse goats cheese)... ‘We only buy our cheeses from small local producers, which are chosen with care. It’s a true partnership that we create with the artisan producers’, explains Jean-François.

The dairy works exclusively with dairy retailers, primarily in France, but do export some of their products elsewhere. Online purchases are available on their website www.reblochon-paccard.fr. The Paccard family also began to mature organic Reblochon in 2007. In the same year, they rearranged and readjusted the chalet for visits from the public. ‘We want to promote our profession as affineurs to the general public. Our visitors can discover the caves with our guide, the different stages of affinage of the cheese from Savoy, and the daily tasks we undertake.’

On a more technical note, you will discover that the Paccards use both hollow bricks and solid bricks in their caves. ‘Brick is a materiel that is porous and natural, which absorbs humidity and then restores it back into the atmosphere when the air is dry,’ says Jean-François Paccard. ‘As the name suggests, the hollow brick is full of air, which acts as a sort of insulation. The solid brick is more aesthetically pleasing. We therefore left them exposed and white-washed the hollow bricks. Our underground caves are ‘protected’ from the ground by an exterior wall of concrete, as advised by the architect, because of the natural dust which is produced from the earth in the mountains.’

The last stage of the visit consists of trying four cheeses, accompanied with a white wine from Savoy, for example a Reblechon fermier with a Chignin Bergeron or a Beaufort d’été with a Marin du domaine Delalex. ‘Cheese and red wine? After many attempts to drink it with different cheeses, red wine has never convinced me. The tannins, its acidity, its aromas, and its structure, all create obstacles for me. Once the wine has been swallowed, the aromas sensed through the olfactory system create an uncomfortably bitter and austere taste. The fat from the cheese hardens the tannins in red wine.’ For him, there is no doubt about it. ‘White wine is more versatile, elegant, round, mineral and is therefore a better match. The fruity, slightly acidic nature of these wines lets the cheese express itself. The exchange between the two, in all respects, is remarkable…’

It’s Joseph , the father which set up the affinage workshop in 1990, in his home village. 10 years later, at the start of the 21st century, his two sons, Jean-François and Bertrand, joined the business which employs a dozen staf.