THE CHEESE

Kenny's Farmhouse Tomme de Nena

Raw Cow
Animal Rennet
Austin, Kentucky

Cheesemaker Kenny Mattingly & his family milk 120 dairy cows in Barren County, KY. During a trip to Europe in the early 90’s he was inspired by the way Western European dairy farmers were adding value to their product by making it into cheese, and upon returning to the states he decided to convert his farm from a dairy farm to a cheesemaking one. in 1998 they began making Gouda as an experiment, and are now on the larger end of our artisan scale, producing 70,000 pounds of cheese in 2010.

Tomme de Nena is made in the style of a classic French Tomme with their “awe-brie” curds: double cream curds instead of skim-milk ones. This is washed in a red ale, creating a firm, but pliable, texture. It is sweet and milky, with deeper notes of mushrooms and earth, with lingering washed rind funkiness redolent of Taleggio.

THE WINE

Domaine Sauvete "Oneiros"

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Touraine, France (Loire Valley)
Farming Practices: Organic

Pouilly Fume and Sancerre may be areas we more associate Sauvignon Blanc production in the Loire Valley, but just to the west of these iconic SB producing regions is Touraine. Saddled around Vouvray and Montluis with Cheverny its immediate neighbor to the northeast and Chinon to its Southwest, Touraine is surrounded by benchmark appellations for all of Loire's grapes and produces a smattering of each. Chenin blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and (the impossible to find and my current obsession) Pinot D'Anuis intuitively find home in Touraine as it is literally surrounded by the benchmark production region of each varietal. Touraine is sort of the poor man's fill in the blank in regard to Loire grape varietals.

Our particular bottle, Domaine Sauvete, is a slightly more generous approach to the traditionally lean, soil driven, grassy, sometimes "pissy" Sauvignon Blancs from Loire. Resting on the dead yeast cells (Lees) gives this wine a broader and richer mouth feel. A good dose of sunshine and sandy heat-attracting soils make the fruit more fleshy than traditional lime/lemon zest found in neighboring Sancerre. The end result is a typical Loire Sauvignon with a relative atypical measure of richer fruit and fuller body. I get a little orange rind and pineapple in addition to the usual lime citrus with a lasting acidic finish.

THE PAIRING:
Guest Monger: Mark

Being under the weather, my taste buds at the time of this pairing weren't what I'd like, so I enlisted the help of fellow mongers Brunsen, Colin, and Ryne to taste with me. For me, I find a lot of cheese and wine pairings are like watching "Carlito's Way" (I hope you've seen it). Engaging right from the beginning, great story, love the whole thing until the end. Finding a partner with this cheese was difficult as the finish was either non existent or very biting. The Sauvete works well. The inherent acid in SB breaks up the fat, but in this specific case the fleshier, warmer fruit serves to create a creamy, nearly tropical finish. Together they make for a great experience!