It's Epoisse-ish. What I am looking for is actually more Langres than Eppoises. If you are not familiar, Langres is the delicate little sister of Epoisses which is washed without Marc and shorter period so it has less orange coverage and less stink element. It takes 15-35 days to age (Langres AOC rules for the smaller 150g wheel are 15 days). It is washed so lightly that it may seem like a no-wash rind at all! To make sure that people know it as a washed rind cheese, the French have been mixing Annato in the wash! (They should have called it "Epoisses Américaine"!)
What I am doing is really a washed St. Marcellin. It ages a lot faster than a regular Epoisses (it is also about 1/4 the volume). The paste will be soft, flavored and ripe well before it is covered with orange bacteria so as soon as I see orange color, I am halting the wash and moving to the refrigerator where it is ready to eat and could live in relative stability for 4-6 weeks or so. I don't think this would take very long but this is an experimental cheese so let's wait and see!
Langres AOC is one of my favorite cheeses. The dimple in the top's center is intentional. Some people like to fill the dimple with Champagne (or Marc, or Cider) when serving. Like the Epoisses, it too is made in the Bourgogne region, mostly by cheesemakers who also make Epoisses AOC
