Les Délices du Plateau
Cooperative at Plasne, between Poligny and Château-Chalon. Book the early guided visit of the workshop and cellars, then taste its Comté, Morbier and Tomme.
About Morbier
An uncooked pressed cow's milk cheese cut across the middle by a thin horizontal line of vegetable charcoal. INAO says the farmer once made a small cheese from the evening milk, coated it with cauldron soot overnight and topped it with the morning cheese; French Wikipedia puts the first written traces in the late 18th century. A wheel is 35 cm across and 7 cm high (INAO) and weighs about 7 kg (French Wikipedia; Le Guide du Fromage gives 5 to 8 kg).
Made in: Jura plateaus: Doubs, almost all of Jura, and a few communes of Ain and Saône-et-Loire
On the plate
Creamy and melting, with lactic, caramel, vanilla and fruit notes that turn roasted, spiced and vegetal with age (INAO). The natural rind is beige to orange, and the ivory paste carries a few scattered small openings.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Morbier
Poulsard Jura
Our pickPoulsard is the palest and lightest of the Jura reds, low in tannin and bright in red fruit. Morbier is creamy and melting with a caramel edge, and the wine's freshness lifts the paste with no tannin to turn bitter against the rind.
Trousseau Jura
Our pickMorbier is creamy and melting, with caramel and fruit notes. Trousseau is the deepest of the Jura reds yet supple in tannin, and its spice and ripe fruit sit with the paste without turning bitter against the rind or the charcoal line.
The grapes behind these winesTrousseauPoulsardPloussard
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Fruitière des Coteaux de Seille
Raw-milk cooperative at Lavigny, between Lons-le-Saunier and Château-Chalon, making Comté, Morbier and Tomme du Jura. Free viewing gallery and a direct-sale shop.
Fruitière de la Vallée du Hérisson
Village cooperative at Doucier making Comté and Morbier. Its morning viewing gallery is closed during October 2026; the shop sells its Comté, Morbier and local products.
Fruitière à Comté de Salins-les-Bains
A Comté fruitière set inside the town, one of the last of its kind. A gallery looks onto the vats, and the shop sells three ages of Comté, Morbier, raclette and regional produce.
Fruitière du Plateau Arboisien
Cooperative that moved its production from three sites into one workshop at Ivory in 2021. Its Arbois shop sells its Comté and Morbier, and the house specialises in Morbier.
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.
Morbier: questions
What is the black line in Morbier?
A layer of vegetable charcoal through the middle of the wheel. INAO says it began as soot protecting the evening cheese overnight, and it is now kept as the cheese's signature.
How long is Morbier aged?
At least 45 days, according to Le Guide du Fromage and French Wikipedia.
When did Morbier get its protection?
AOC in 2000 and AOP in 2002, according to French Wikipedia and Le Guide du Fromage.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Jura
Plan the trip
Visit Morbier country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.inao.gouv.fr, fr.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.