Cheese

Dedalus and Jasper Hill Farm work directly together to bring you the highest quality cheese being produced in the state. Each wheel of Alpha Tolman that arrives in the shop is specially selected by the cheese wizards up in Hardwick so that it meets our custom “Dedalus Profile”. Alpha Tolman is a raw cow’s milk, washed rind cheese made using traditional Alpine-style methods. Aging out between eight months to a year, expect notes of tropical fruit, caramelized onions, and beef broth.

Betty and Martin Koster source their Goudas from the best cheesemakers and cheesemaking co-operatives throughout the Netherlands. L’amuse signature is aged at a higher humidity and temperature than most Goudas. This keeps the paste moist and sweet, while still developing crunchy tyrosine crystals. Think butterscotch candy in cheese form. 

Jasper Hill Farm’s Bayley Hazen Blue has developed a loyal following, and for good reason. This raw cow’s milk blue-veined cheese is as creamy and fudgy as they come. Aged for just under 4 months, Bayley Hazen is perfect for both sweet and savory pairings. Melt a fat slice on a burger for the ultimate creamy, umami flavor bomb, or pick up any 2oz jar of V Smiley Preserves, $7.00, for a trip down honey-sweetened lane.

A delicious and highly decorated Gruyere from Fribourg, Switzerland. 1655 is aged by Fromage Gruyere SA, the smallest of the Gruyere Affineurs and selected from the premier dairies that they source from. 1655 shows considerable seasonal variation though each wheel shows distinct fruit notes up front with a long and savory finish. Pair with Fallot Whole Grain Mustard or England Preserves Red Onion Marmalade.

An all too rare example of a natural rind Manchego. The sheep’s unique diet of grasses and cereals combined with the aging process results in a flavor that is much more complex and less piquant than most aged Manchegos, with a flavor that calls to mind buttered bread.

A deep and subtle Goat’s milk Gouda style sourced from the Brabandt region of Holland and aged under the watchful eye of Betty Koster at Fromagerie L’amuse outside of Amsterdam. This is a cheese that can convert even the most goat-skeptic of cheese lovers with its rich, almost caramelly flavor.

There's a good reason we sell out of this cheese each week: it’s absolutely delicious. Extra Aged Invierno is a raw mixed milk cheese that is matured in the caves for at least two years before entering the shop. The cow's milk brings a welcome creaminess while the sheep’s milk provides an added tanginess to the flavor and mouth-feel of this cheese. Expect notes of garlic, crunch, and gentle spice.

A unique expression of one of France's most popular cheeses, available only at Dedalus. The affineurs at Marcel Petit make sure that they choose the perfect wheels throughout the year for our personally selected flavor profile. Notes of roasted cashew, broth, and root vegetable coexist with Comte's classic buttery brightness in these extremely limited edition wheels. All you need is a bit of Vin Jaune.

A traditional English style Clothbound Cheddar made right up the road in Shelburne, VT.  Shelburne’s take on this classic has big brothy notes with a bit of a kick reminiscent of onion or horseradish. Great with Edmund Fallot Walnut Mustard.

A hearty Alpine cheese made near the ruins of Schlossberger castle in the Emmental region of Switzerland. Schlossberger is super savory with a toasted nut profile almost reminiscent of Parmigiano. Schlossberger has the classic alpine brothiness with a sweetness that makes it a versatile pairing partner.

Vermont Shepherd is one of the oldest sheep’s milk cheese producers in the country. Verano, translating to “Summer” in Spanish, is one of two cheeses produced on the farm and is made solely during the summer months when the herd indulges in the luscious pastures of Southern Vermont. Our cheesemongers like to think of this raw sheep’s milk cheese as if Parmigiano Reggiano and Manchego had a baby. Nutty, sharp, and a gentle creaminess, Verano and a crisp bottle of Nanclares Albarino Paraje Mina 2018, $42.99, will make any night of the week feel like Friday.

Cheesemaker John Putnam is the godfather of Vermont-made Tarentaise. John has taught his style and techniques for producing this raw cow’s milk Alpine-style counter favorite to other cheesemakers throughout the state. Toasty hazelnut notes lead into a peppery, grassy finish. 

Shelburne Farms Three Year Cheddar is a counter favorite, and for good reason. An extra year of age gives this cheddar much more pronounced notes of tropical fruit and crunch.

Landaff is a beautifully cheesy collaboration between Landaff Creamery in New Hampshire and The Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Milk from the small dairy in the White Mountains is brought to Jasper's Cave #7 at the Food Venture Center in Hardwick, VT where it is put in the perfect microclimate for aging.  Landaff is a New England riff on traditional Welsh Caerphilly, a crumbly and richer cousin of Cheddar. Perfect with berry preserves, Speck & crisp mountain nights. 

Shelburne Farms Two Year Cheddar is a staple at the Dedalus cheese counter. Made in the traditional block Cheddar-style, this cheese ages out for at least two years on the historical farm located just 10 minutes south of Dedalus. Notes of pineapple and a familiar crunch from the calcium lactate crystals found on the outside of the cheese that form throughout the aging process. Grab a bottle of Iapetus Substrata, $24.99, from neighboring Shelburne Vineyard to sip on while you enjoy this classic cheese, after all, what grows together goes together.

A bright cow’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees. Bethmale has a subtle, stonefruit acidity and an aroma of lightly toasted hazelnuts. Great when paired with the subtle honey notes of Epire Savennieres Sec.

The classic Italian melting cheese. Fontina holds it out while standing apart from the swiss and french greats. Versatile and workable, this cheese holds its own on the cheeseplate as well with distinct notes of mushroom and cured meat.

Once the most well-known and widely-available British cheese, true Cheshire is now one of the rarest of birds. In fact, there remains only one surviving farmhouse Cheshire producer in the UK - the Appleby family on Hawkstone Farm. The farm is currently owned and operated by Sarah Appleby, who - together with cheesemaker Garry Gray - oversees cheese production, and her husband Paul, who takes care of the cattle and ensures their milk is of the highest quality. Their herd of cows graze on Shropshire's mineral-rich grasses, resulting in a flinty but still super rich paste.

A cheese as picturesque as the Alpine landscape it comes from, Alp Blossom is coated in the same flowers and herbs the cows get to feast upon in the spring and summer. This Bouquet includes chervil, marigold & rose petals. Alp Blossom has the savouriness of cheese like Gruyere and Comte, but with a buttery sweetness.

One of Casa Madaio's most precious wheels, this sheeps' milk cheese is aged to crystalline perfection in natural stone caves perfumed with spring herbs. A bit of toothy bite gives way to flavors of sweet thyme blossoms and sun-baked grasses.

Visually stunning and equally impressive in taste, Monte Enbro is made by a legendary father-daughter team in the Avila mountains of central Spain. The goats' milk is hand-formed into bricks and bloomed with blue mold. Unique and intense, the flavor is equal parts earthy, peppery, and tangy, and becomes stronger with age. The rich milk used renders a paste that ranges from flakey to dense and creamy as the cheese ripens; grab a hunk for an experience to be enjoyed by adventurous eaters.

A bold and chocolatey blue from cheesemaker Stan Biasi.  Patrolman's Blues is a peppery new addition to the Vermont cheese scene. As at home melted on a steak as it is alongside some fresh figs and dark honey.

A masterful sheeps' milk offering from the affinatori of Casa Madaio. A dark, earthy rind surrounds a rich golden paste with notes of roasted hazelnuts and wild honey, with a gentle sheepy finish.

Cremont, the “Cream of Vermont”, is the gold standard for aged goat’s milk cheeses in the Green Mountain State. This pasteurized, mixed goat and cow’s milk double cream cheese flaunts a beautifully brainy geotrichum rind and a smooth, schmearable paste. Grab a jar of Bee the Change honey, and a box of Rustic Bakery crackers, and settle in for a night of Netflix on the couch.