Because France is synonymous with cheese
We like Bordeaux. Much. It's small and manageable, it's only a short hour by plane from Madrid, it's perfect for a weekend... And it's also home to some delicious wines that take their name from the city, it has a neighborhood that is like a little Paris – the impressive Cité Du Vin – and hundreds of gourmet addresses. And how could it be otherwise, many of them use cheese as the main ingredient, either to sell it, taste it or prepare it in a thousand and one different recipes.
MYTHICAL CHEESE
They say you've eaten us cheese if you haven't visited the Jean D'Alos fromagerie. Its foundation dates back to 1983 and it is one of the oldest in Bordeaux. Entering there will make you fall at the feet of Clarence Grosdidier, the alma mater of this project. Clarence was dedicated to the world of finance and was an important entrepreneur who created several concepts in Bordeaux such as POP, a space for ephemeral events, or W'iN, a coworking space with sports rooms and a concierge service.
And if you don't want to lug around the cheeses, Jean D'Alos has a shop at Mérignac airport.
A few years ago he decided to hang up his tie and dedicate himself to the world of cheeses, thus acquiring everything that he knew and had Jean D'Alos.
Now Clarence has become a cheese refiner and visiting his shop is one of the essential duties when visiting the capital of Bordeaux. There they have more than 250 references of cheeses that they take care of with care to make them a unique product.
The cheese factory is located in the heart of Bordeaux and It has a tuning room in the basement, in what was a typical Bordeaux cellar part of a 15th century convent. There the cheeses wait for their optimal moment of consumption.
Clarence bets on local producers because, according to his philosophy, the best thing is that the milk with which they are made does not travel too much. You can take home magnificent copies of Chaource, a soft cheese made with raw cow's milk, Comtés of different maturations or individual cheeses such as Pouligny Saint Pierre made from raw goat's milk, Valençay or Coronne Lochoise from the Loire region.
Three of his own cheeses, made in the Pyrenees area, Tomme de Bordeaux, Tomme d'Aquitaine and Gabiétou, were chosen as part of the 100 best cheeses by the publication Wine Spectator. The cheese is alive, so a great point in its favor is that they ask you when you are going to consume it, so that they can give you the one that is at its best ripening moment.
Underground refining room at the Jean D'Alos fromagerie.
WHERE TO TASTE IT
Buy it, yes, but eat it? Now yes, we have arrived at a cheese paradise like no other. It's called Baud et Millet and each and every one of their dishes has cheese. In 1986 it was opened by Gérard Baud, a wine and cheese enthusiast. In 2009 he passed the baton to Xavier Brung, who continued with this adventure in which cheese and wine continue to be absolute protagonists.
What made us fall in love at first sight? The secret he keeps downstairs... It has a cheese cellar with more than 100 references: Morbier, Tomme aux Trois, Comté, Gouda, Bleu de Gex, Roquefort... goat, cow, old, new, rare, bizarre... and so on up to a hundred cheeses from different parts of the world, with special emphasis in the French.
Best of all, it offers a most appealing experience. It is called La Caverne aux fromages and consists of a formula that for 34 euros offers an 'all you can eat' of the cheeses from its cellar. They come with lettuce salad and bread rolls and all you have to do is help yourself to your favorites and enjoy.
TO THE LETTER
But if you prefer to order a la carte, on their menu there are other references that are no less delicious, such as cheese boards that they prepare with Reblochon, truffled Meaux brie and Tête de Moine flowers, the sweet croque monsieur with Brillant Savarin cheese and foie, a Pecorino carpaccio with truffle or a restorative onion soup au gratin with cheese and accompanied by a skewer of duck sausage.
Another of the most requested star dishes at Baud et Millet is Le Mont d'or. It is a cheese from the Jura region, made from cow's milk from the Mont Béliard breed, which is known to have already been served at the courts of Louis XV They say it was one of his favourites. It is creamy and here what they do is bake it and accompany it with cold meats and steamed potatoes, so you can immerse them and enjoy. And what about? by tablespoons You can order one to share, one for yourself, or the mini version that they offer among their starters. Believe us, if you are going to try more things, it is best to order this last one.
An extra point at Baud et Millet is its wines. They don't have a letter because the rotation is overwhelming and they have about 950 references. They are presented inside wooden boxes so that you can come closer and decide which one you like the most. They have from the area of Bordeaux, Jura, Alsace, Burgundy...
At Baud et Millet, Baud et Millet es Le Mont d'or cheese is baked and served with charcuterie and steamed potatoes.
LET THE CHEESE PARTY CONTINUE
Want more directions for putting your boots on cheese mode? Take note of La Petite Savoie, a restaurant with more than 30 years of history specializing in Savoyard recipes. They serve up to four types of raclette, a transalpina accompanied by speck, coppa, pancetta and salami, another aux grisons with dried beef, a raclette de montagne with salami and smoked ham and a vegetarian accompanied by a salad of walnuts, cucumbers, pickled onions and steamed potatoes .
One of his nods to shepherds is the Reblochonade, a way of eating cheese that was once melted with charcoal using a small brazier. There is no shortage of other recipes such as tartiflettes or fondues with cheeses cooked in wine and accompanied by beef or lettuce salad.
In 2010, Éric Lucmaret ventured with the opening of Le Bistrot du Fromager. Nine years later he is still going strong, this time in the hands of two good friends, Lucas and Mathieu, who decided to dedicate their lives to what they liked best: cheeses and wines. The letter is simple, but effective. You will find its famous assiettes, which are dishes to share and taste cheeses, foie gras, charcuterie... accompanied by a selection of wines directly from their cellars, whether foreign, Bordeaux or French in general.
Sunday's plan must necessarily go through a visit to the Cité Du Vin, with its spectacular architecture, where technology and scenery play a fundamental role in understanding the world –and the soul– of wine and finish in front of the Anouk building Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières from the XTU studio. It is called Les Halles de Bacalan and has been conceived as a gastronomic market where to have an aperitif or eat while diving from one position to another. Some are specialized in foie, oysters, fish, meat and, of course, cheese.
For the latter, we headed to the Fromagerie des Flots stall, the project by Laurent Metral, who he trained in the great cheese factories of Paris and decided to fly freely and bet on setting up his own cheese factory. More than 150 different cheeses await you, to buy and take home or to drink right there in any of its formulas: tastings of three or five cheeses, tartiflette -which is a recipe in which potatoes and onions are baked and crowned with melted Reblochon cheese–, the Le Jurassien panini with Montebilard sausage and Morbier cheese or with a Camembert or Mont D'Or fondue. They also sell gourmet products such as jams, olive oils or the fantastic Echiré or Le Beurre Bordier.
Fromagerie des Flots cheese stall at Les Halles de Bacalan gourmet market.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Since you're in the area, how about you meet a new hotel this time? It's called Seeko'o and it's a banner of the new wave of modernity in Bordeaux. Located just a few steps from the Cité Du Vin, it towers over the street like a white, contemporary iceberg.
Its 44 rooms offer a design and comfort made in the image and likeness of any self-respecting urbanite, many of them with views of the lively area of the Garonne River docks. We are fascinated by their carpets as lunar landscapes and its bathrooms, which close like a mother ship. It has a cocktail bar and a sauna in its fitness area, ideal for relaxing after a long day.
Futuristic room with a view in the new Seeko'o hotel in Bordeaux.