Soft, nutty and quietly pungent: the mountain cheese that makes tartiflette.
Where it comes from
Reblochon is made in the Alps of Haute-Savoie and in the Val d’Arly in Savoie, in eastern France. The town of Thônes, in the Aravis mountains, is its historic centre. It has been protected by an appellation of origin since 1958.
The name has a story. It comes from reblocher, an old local word for milking a cow a second time. Farmers were taxed on the milk they produced, so they held some back until the inspector had left. That second milking was small but very rich, and it went into this cheese.
It is made from raw whole milk from three local breeds: Abondance, Montbéliarde and Tarine. A wheel is about 14 cm wide and weighs around 450 g.
How it tastes
The rind is washed during ageing, which gives it a thin, saffron-orange skin dusted with fine white mould. Inside, the paste is ivory, supple and creamy. The flavour is milky and nutty, with a hint of hazelnut and a gentle farmyard note from the rind. It smells stronger than it tastes.
How to buy and serve it
- Look at the small casein disc on the rind. Green means fermier: made on the farm, twice a day, with milk from a single herd. Red means laitier: made in a dairy with milk from several farms.
- A ripe Reblochon gives slightly when you press the middle. It should not run like a Camembert.
- Take it out of the fridge an hour before serving. Eat the rind if you like it; it adds depth.
- Keep it in its wrapping, with the wooden disc it often sits on, in the warmest part of the fridge.
- For tartiflette, cut a whole cheese in half horizontally and lay it rind-up over potatoes, onions and lardons before baking.
The pairing
The local answer: a crisp Savoie white. Jacquère from Apremont or Abymes is light, dry and mountain-fresh, with a little citrus and stone. It cleans the palate between bites and never fights the cheese. With a bubbling tartiflette, a Chignin-Bergeron (made from Roussanne) has a little more body.
- Richer: Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris “Clos des Capucins” (about €28). Its round, smoky fruit stands up to the melted cheese and bacon.
- Crisp and Italian: Pieropan Soave Classico (about €13.90), with almond notes that echo the nutty paste.
- If you want red: Louis-Claude Desvignes Morgon “La Voûte Saint-Vincent” (about €19), lightly chilled. Its soft tannins and bright fruit stay friendly.
- Close to home: Sunnen-Hoffmann Crémant Blanc de Noir (about €19.70). The bubbles cut through the richness.
Also try it with
- Boiled potatoes, cured ham and cornichons, the simplest Savoyard supper.
- A slice of rye bread and a few walnuts.
- Crisp apples or pears.
- A green salad with a sharp walnut-oil dressing, to follow a tartiflette.
- A cheese board, next to a hard mountain cheese such as Gruyère.
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Photo: Guy Waterval, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Prices were checked in October 2026 and can change. Please drink responsibly. L’abus d’alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.