The word 'crottin' refers to the dark color of the mature cheese and this is the way the locals traditionally ate it. An interesting taste diversion from many of the cows milk cheeses, Crottin de Chavignol well deserves to be considered a true French gourmet cheese.
Goats grazing around the vineyards of Sancerre in the Loire Valley supply the milk for Crottin de Chavignol. Crottin de Chavignol has a white rind which darkens with maturity through blue-gray to black. The paste is very white and firm, creamy to start with and hardening as it matures. The flavor is lightly flinty with nuts, turning spicier as it ages.
Similar cheeses are Chabichou de Poitou, Selles-sur-Cher and Valençay. We sell 3 of these small 2-oz. cheeses at once; a total of 6 ounces of cheese.