Many months are necessary to make a white cheese into a product rich in tastes and flavours.  The pressed curd cheeses that arrive at Fromagerie Rivoire-Jacquemin (founded 1860) are not yet Comté, but they know the exact origin of each cheese, the cheesemaker who worked it, the breeders who brought their milk from Montbéliardes cows, the villages which are home to each of the fruit farms.  Thanks to this method, they can select the best origins, and this assurance provided, the refining can begin.  Very good stone cellars, spruce boards from the Jura mountains, maturing teams trained by the best cellar masters, first-rate master refiners and the adaptation of the best technologies, are all essential elements implemented in house to achieve the best ripening while respecting the great cheese-making tradition.  These Comté wheels stay in stone cellars for an average of 12 months.  Some intended for lovers of sweetness and fresh, green flavors will stay there up to 6 months, others will wait in the darkness and coolness for them to grow in intensity and taste diversity.  During this evolution, constant monitoring of the wheels is carried out before their marketing, to finally grant them the AOP and grade their quality.  This is the fine ‘cousin’ of Swiss Gruyere, but with a more nutty and fruity profile.  Perfect to pair with all kinds of food and drink, and especially Sauvignon Blanc.  Aromas of cooked butter, milk, and hazelnuts, it is one of Europe’s most-produced cheeses in terms of tonnage.