Banon (France)
priced by the piece
Banon hails from the sunny and windswept hillsides of Provence. This French cow's milk cheese is wrapped in fresh chestnut leaves that are briefly steeped in brandy. Still young and fresh flavored, it absorbs the delicate, subtle vegetal flavors of the leaves. The leaves turn brown when the cheese has reached its peak ripeness. Try Banon with Syrah-based Rhone reds or an earthy mouvadre. One piece weighs approximately 4 ounces.

Capriole "O'Bannon" (Indiana)
priced by the piece
An old cheese with a new name, while banon has been made for centuries in the Haute Provence, Steve Jenkins made CaprioleÆs popular when he wrote in his Cheese Primer that Capriole's "is much, much better than any IÆve tasted in France." The French cheese is smaller and ripened, and theirs is larger and fresher to give a lighter, palate cleansing edge to heavier cheeses on a cheese board. Traditionally, the chestnut leaves used to wrap the cheese were soaked in eau de vie. OÆBannon uses Woodford Reserve Bourbon. The tannins in the leaves and the bourbon combine to give this creamy, dense cheese just a nuance of a kick!