Taleggio DOP Giallo, Guffanti

Taleggio Incarto Giallo is a young-mature cheese with roots in Val Taleggio – a lush valley between Lecco and Bergamo. Here, the cheese traditions have been alive for hundreds of years, and this is where Gorgonzola’s close relative, Taleggio DOP, first got his name. The cheese is lit on cow’s milk and gets a couple of days of first ripening in hot rooms before moving to caves in Valsassina, where the climate has proven perfect for affination. This is where Guffanti takes over. With several generations of experience and in-depth knowledge of the producers, they choose out and follow up the cheeses until they have received just the freshness and youthful acidity they are looking for. The result is a creamy, soft core with a mild and light metallic acidity. The rind is moist and reddish, with a clear aroma, but tastefully the cheese is still on the clean and fresh side. Taleggio Giallo is lovely as it is, on bread or crack bread, but also makes itself well melted in risotto or on hot sandwiches. A cheese of clear origin, but with an availability that makes it a nice introduction to the more complex, well-changed variants.