Saint-Nectaire

Saint-Nectaire is a pressed, uncooked, semi-hard cow's-milk cheese produced exclusively within defined communes of the Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal departments. The specification mandates a minimum fat content of 45 grams per 100 grams of completely desiccated cheese and a minimum dry matter content of 50 grams per 100 grams of matured cheese. Both farmhouse and dairy origins are recognised and must be declared on the label.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-FR-0132, with eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012915, and granted EU protection on 21 June 1996, Saint-Nectaire is made exclusively from renneted cow's milk, with a semi-hard, pressed, uncooked, fermented, and salted paste. Milk production, cheesemaking, and maturation must all take place within the geographical area comprising municipalities of the Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme departments, at altitudes above 700 m. The large format is a slightly tapered cylinder 20 to 24 cm in diameter and 3.5 to 5.5 cm in height, with a weight not exceeding 1.850 kg, subject to a minimum maturation period of 28 days after placement in the cellar. A smaller format, 12 to 14 cm in diameter and 3.5 to 4.5 cm high and not exceeding 0.650 kg, requires a minimum maturation period of 21 days. Dairy cows must graze for a minimum of 140 days per year, and their basic ration must consist exclusively of grass from the defined area. As from 1 May 2017, fermented fodder is prohibited in the dairy cows' feed. Supplementary feed may not exceed 30% of the total ration expressed as dry matter per year. All labelling must display the name of the PDO in letters at least two thirds the size of the largest lettering on the label, must include the European Union's PDO symbol, and must indicate whether the cheese originates from a farm or a dairy.

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-0132 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012915).
• The large-format cheese must weigh no more than 1.850 kg and undergo a minimum maturation period of 28 days after placement in the cellar.
• As from 1 May 2017, fermented fodder is prohibited in dairy cows' feed; the only preserved fodder authorised is grass with a dry matter content of over 80%.
• Labelling must state whether the cheese is of farm or dairy origin, in characters at least two thirds the size of the designation 'Saint-Nectaire'.

Tasting notes

Auvergne cow's milk pressed uncooked cheese, aged 28+ days on rye-straw mats (which leave characteristic basket-weave pattern on rind). Greyish-white rind speckled with yellow-orange-pink molds, ivory paste, supple creamy texture, balanced flavor with hazelnut-mushroom-cellar notes and characteristic earthy terroir character.

HoReCa use

Plateau de fromages; melted in Auvergne aligot variations; pairs with Chanturgue and Côtes d'Auvergne wines.

Packaging

• wheel-full-1.7kg
• wheel-half-vacuum-850g
• wedge-vacuum-300g
• wedge-vacuum-150g