The name of this cheese translates to “mature mountain cheese” and indeed the 14-16 months of aging and washing with brine and herbs creates an intense raw cow milk cheese. At first you might disregard the complexity, but a slow start develops into a fdecidely nutty, meaty finish. Though it’s dense, dry and a bit crunchy, the small holes often ooze delicious ‘eau de cheese’ resulting from microbial metabolism of lactose into CO2 and water. The Sibratsgfaell Cooperative of 12 farmers on the outskirts of the Bregenz Forest in Austria produces this rare find at a great value. Pair it with Dopplebock or a big Rhone-Alps red.