The 1655 brand of Gruyère AOP was created to distinguish the highest-quality Gruyeres. To qualify for the 1655 brand, a team of external experts rigorously test a dairy’s cheeses every month and grades them on a scale up to 20 points. Gruyère AOP Le Crêt has a five-year average of 19.67 points and is one of only three dairies to meet the 1655 criteria.
Gruyère 1655 is made in the heartland of traditional Gruyère production in the Fribourg region of Switzerland. The dairy, which dates back to 1900, uses freshly delivered milk from eight small local farms. The cows graze on mountain pasture, and the unique composition of the grasses is reflected in the cheese.
After wheels have been aged for three months at Le Crêt, Fromage Gruyère SA brings them to their caves 15 km away to continue the affinage. Fromage Gruyère was founded in 1916 as a public affineur to sustain the production of Gruyère in its traditional production zone.
Made with unpasteurized cow's milk, Gruyere 1655 is firm, dense and slightly flaky, and studded with lovely pinpoint crystals. This cheese has an exceptional balance of salty and sweet, with complex nutty and fruity flavours under which one can detect notes of sweet hay, earth, toast and cream.
1655 Gruyère is an exquisitely versatile cheese, pair it with dry or semi-sweet white wines, a late-harvest sweet wine, sparkling wine or fruity reds with smooth tannins.