Moulis de Vache

1. History

Moulis de Vache is named after the village of Moulis in the Couserans valley, Ariège, near Saint-Girons at the foot of Mont Valier. Historically a subsistence cheese for peasant families since the Middle Ages, it gained fame in the 19th century reaching Toulouse tables. The Château fromagerie, a family institution from grandfather Pujol to granddaughter Marie-Jo Coudray and her husband, revived farm production to preserve its authentic character.

2. Physical characteristics

This uncooked pressed paste cheese weighs about 4 kg and is made from raw cow's milk from the Pyrenees. Its rind is thin, slightly striated, grayish to orange, dotted with noble white, brown, and black molds after 4 to 8 weeks minimum aging on spruce or wooden boards. The paste is airy, full of fermentation holes, supple, creamy, and melting.

3. Taste profile

The heart offers a suave and creamy flavor with hay aromas on the nose. Near the rind, notes intensify, becoming more animal with a slight bitterness. Its melting, airy texture makes it pronounced, perfect with a white wine like Côtes du Jura.

4. Production zone and period

Produced in Moulis village, Ariège (09), in the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees, Lez valley. Made using ancestral Pyrenean know-how, aged in cool, humid cellars. Optimal tasting period is April to September, but excellent from March to November.

5. Certification

Moulis de Vache is a traditional raw milk cheese without specific AOC, AOP, or IGP certification noted, though some variants have protected geographical indication. Its artisanal and farm production emphasizes Pyrenean terroir quality. It is recognized for authenticity in the Pyrenees chain.