Fromagerie du Haut-Jura
Fruitière at 1,100 metres in the Haut-Jura, one of the last four dairies making Bleu de Gex AOP beside Comté. Free visits without booking; arrive before 10am to see the cheese being made.
About Bleu de Gex
A blue cheese of the high Jura, made from raw milk of Montbéliarde or Simmental cows, with a whitish, slightly floury rind stamped with the word Gex in relief. Wheels are 31 to 35 cm across and weigh 6 to 9 kg. Le Guide du Fromage says it seems to go back to the 13th century and to the cheesemaking of the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Claude. The Fromagerie du Haut-Jura at Les Moussières calls itself one of the last four dairies making it.
Made in: Haut-Jura peaks of the Jura massif, in Ain and Jura
On the plate
Milder than most blue cheeses, with a light salt note and a pleasant bitterness. Vanilla cream and mushroom, chanterelle in particular, lead, with a floury rind and blue-green marbling through ivory paste.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Bleu de Gex
Vin de paille Jura
Our pickVin de paille, made from grapes dried for months before pressing, is sweet and concentrated, and its sugar sets off the light salt and pleasant bitterness of Bleu de Gex. A blue this mild does not bury the wine's dried-fruit richness.
Jura Chardonnay, fresh style (no veil) Jura
Our pickBleu de Gex is milder than most blues, with a light salt note and a pleasant bitterness. A dry Jura Chardonnay made without veil ageing has the acidity to cut the fat and the fruit to soften the bitterness, without covering the blue.
The grapes behind these winesChardonnaySavagninPoulsardPloussard
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Fromagerie Janin
Five generations of cheesemongers since 1885, now run by brothers Marc and Mathieu Janin; Marc is Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2015. Raw-milk cheeses ripened in its own cellars, plus wines, beers and spirits.
Essencia
Cheese shop on place Notre-Dame in Poligny, run by Philippe Bouvret, under a barrel-shaped wooden ceiling. It sells Comté aged up to 33 months, regional cheeses, charcuterie and Jura wines.
Crèmerie Pianet Humbey
Family cheese shop since 1950 in Lons-le-Saunier with more than 150 cheeses from cow, goat and sheep milk, regional specialities made in house, and a vending machine outside. Open seven days.
Juramonts Comté Crèmerie
Shop in the centre of Poligny created in 1986 by the Juramonts union of Comté fruitières, selling the Comtés of its member dairies next to Morbier, Bleu de Gex and raclette.
Cheese experiences nearby
Maison du Comté
Interpretive centre on Comté in Poligny, in three buildings for the milk producers, cheesemakers and ageing cellars. Films, sensory games and interactive displays lead to a tasting of two Comtés.
Guided visit of the Juraflore Comté cellars
Guided walk through the Comté ageing cellars inside the Fort des Rousses, with a tasting of Comtés of different profiles at the end. Online reservation is compulsory.
Early visit of the Plasne fruitière
Morning visit of the Plasne cooperative: the workshop, the ageing cellars and a tasting of its Comté, Morbier and Tomme. Reservation is required; call the fruitière to book.
Routes du Comté
Network of farms, fruitières, ageing cellars and cheese museums that welcome visitors, with themed circuits on foot, by bike, car, ski, motorbike or motorhome. The Comté trade body that runs it is based in Poligny.
Open day at the Plasne fruitière
Once a year the Plasne fruitière opens to the public with guided visits of the factory, a local producers market and a fondue served on booking.
Lons-le-Saunier Thursday market
The main food market of Lons-le-Saunier, held on Thursday morning with cheese among the fresh and regional produce. Other stalls fill place du 11 Novembre all day, with a smaller producers market on Wednesday evenings.
Bleu de Gex: questions
Is Bleu de Septmoncel the same cheese?
The Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité registers the appellation as Bleu de Gex Haut-Jura or Bleu de Septmoncel.
How big is a Bleu de Gex wheel?
31 to 35 cm across and 6 to 9 kg, per Le Guide du Fromage.
Which Jura wine suits Bleu de Gex?
Dijon-Beaune Mag quotes wine writer Jacky Rigaux, who says sweet wines are often advised with blue cheeses and that the Jura vin de paille serves them well.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Jura
Plan the trip
Visit Bleu de Gex country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.inao.gouv.fr, www.leguidedufromage.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.