One of the joys of coming to V. Sattui is discovering our incredible cheese case in our Artisan Marketplace.  It’s fun to hang out in the marketplace and watch people walk in the door, and just be drawn in, like a magnet, to the dizzying display of aromatic, creamy goodness.

One of the “must haves” in our treasure chest of cheeses from around the world is made right down the road in Petaluma.  Cowgirl Creamery was started by Sue Conley and Peggy Smith in the early 1990’s in the small coastal town of Pt. Reyes Station.

One of their flagship cheeses is the Mt. Tam– an elegant, triple cream, washed rind (or surface ripened) cheese made from organic cow’s milk from neighboring Straus Family Dairy. Named after Mt. Tamalpais, a Northern California landmark, this smooth and creamy cheese has a mellow, earthy flavor- sort of like white mushrooms.

We like pairing this cheese with our Los Carneros Chardonnay which has some buttery notes to compliment the cheese, but also some ripe pear, fig and honeydew flavors and enough acidity that balance with the heaviness of the cheese.  We also like serving this cheese as a dessert, with a nice glass of our Late Harvest Riesling. Pairing it with some spiced roasted walnuts will really set off the creaminess of the cheese.

Next time you’re at the winery, be sure to check out our cheese case!  Our Cheesemonger, Keith Idle, or one of our other cheese experts, Jack,  are happy to answer questions, and give you tastes!