Comté

Comté is a pressed, cooked cow's milk cheese produced in the Jura Massif from raw whole milk supplied exclusively by Montbéliarde or Simmental française cows, or crosses of the two breeds. It is matured for a minimum of 120 days within the defined geographical area and marketed as wheels weighing 32 to 45 kg. Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-FR-0116.

About this designation

Comté is produced entirely from raw whole cow's milk drawn from herds of Montbéliarde cows of breed type 46, Simmental française cows of breed type 35, or certified crosses of the two breeds. Milk must be collected within a circular area measuring no more than 25 km in diameter and may not be collected from outside the defined geographical area. Fermented fodder, including silage, is prohibited in the dairy herd's feed at any time of year. Supplementary feed is limited to 1 800 kg per dairy cow per year, and at least 1 hectare of grazing area per dairy cow must be maintained on the farm. The cheese has a pressed, cooked paste, is salted on the surface or in brine, and must reach a minimum maturation period of 120 days before marketing. At marketing, the paste is ivory to yellow in colour. Each wheel weighs 32 to 45 kg, measures 55 to 75 centimetres in diameter, and has a heel 8 to 13 cm in height. Fat content is a minimum of 45 g and a maximum of 54 g per 100 g of cheese after total desiccation; dry matter must not weigh less than 62 g per 100 g of cheese. Prior to leaving the maturing cellar, a green or brick-brown band is affixed to the side of each wheel, and an oval-shaped green casein plate bearing the production plant number and production month is applied. Each packaged portion must bear the 'Comté clochettes vertes' logo. Milk production, cheese manufacture, and maturation must all take place within the geographical area. Comté was registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012899.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-FR-0116, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012899.
• Only Montbéliarde (breed type 46), Simmental française (breed type 35), or certified crosses of the two breeds may supply milk for Comté.
• Fermented fodder and silage are prohibited in the dairy herd's feed at any time of year; only non-transgenic feed materials are authorised.
• Each wheel must weigh 32 to 45 kg and measure 55 to 75 cm in diameter, with a heel 8 to 13 cm in height; a minimum maturation of 120 days is required.

Tasting notes

Franche-Comté alpine cow's milk pressed cooked cheese (gruyère family), Montbéliarde and Simmental breeds, aged minimum 4 months, typically 6-18 months, premium "Comté Extra-Vieux" 24-36+ months. Pale ivory-yellow to deep amber, firm dense texture with occasional small crystalline tyrosine, intensely complex flavor: young (4-8 mo) milky-floral, classic (12-18 mo) hazelnut-butter-salted, vieux (24+ mo) tobacco-leather-caramel-roasted-nut. France's most-produced AOP cheese.

HoReCa use

Foundation of plateau de fromages; used in fondue comtoise, soufflé au Comté, gratin de macaroni, gougères, and cheese tartines; pairs with Vin Jaune, Champagne, and Sauternes.

Packaging

• wheel-full-32-45kg
• wheel-quarter-vacuum-8-12kg
• wedge-vacuum-1kg
• wedge-vacuum-500g
• wedge-vacuum-250g
• cubed-pack-200g
• grated-pre-pack-100g
• shaved-tray-100g
• gift-pack-aged-300g