Visited Monteillet Fromagerie, an organically farmed 30-acre dairy in Walla Walla, Washington (eastern part of the state) – a haven for goats, sheep, dogs, a family of pigs, a flock of free range fancy-looking chickens and lambs. Although this carnivore admits to getting as hungry as Wile E. Coyote, petting them was almost as satisfying. Almost.
Then I tasted the cheese. Fresh goat and sheep's milk blended cheeses as well as aged, including the best one, a tasty grapeleaf, ash-covered Le Roi ("the king").
Joan and Pierre-Louis Monteillet, a warm and inviting hippie couple, founded the dairy in 2002, after many years in the wheat farming business. Although they admit they don't have "two nickels to rub together," they survive with the tireless help of young and inspired cheesemaker interns from all over the world, seeking to live the good life on a farm. It's tempting but I ain't that young anymore. But great cheese.
Their production is a super small right now, so it's not here yet… until those interns get crackin' and make more.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2008.