Description
Petit Langres, is a fantastic example of a washed-rind cheese. This decadent creamy cheese hails from the Champagne region of France and takes its name from the town where it is produced. It is washed in a brine and annatto solution, which imparts flavour and gives the cheese its distinctive orange wrinkly rind. The brine contains Marc de Champagne or Marc de Bourgogne, a brandy made from the leftover grape skins, stalks and seeds from the wine-making process. The cheese achieved an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status in the 1990s, which means that it can only be produced in the Cote-d’Or, Haute Marne or Vosges regions. Petit Langres is not turned as it ages, which results in the sunken well in the top of the cheese called a ‘fontaine’.
The flavour is meaty and creamy, the rind is mushroomy with a slight musty tang. There are similarities with Brie and it has a great texture – some people have said that the particularly wrinkled rind looks like a brain. Because the cheese ripens from the outside-in, the cheese near the rind is deliciously gooey, but it becomes more citrusy, sour and firm towards the middle.
