Rodolphe Le Meunier - Master Affineur

Cheese is a living thing – it changes as it ages and needs to receive careful attention as it matures so that it can reach its fullest potential.  A cheese is born out of a series of decisions made by the cheesemaker, from the breed of animal and their feed to the size of the curds and which microbes it is introduced to. Many cheese makers see their cheeses all the way through their life before they go to sale, and some have help from affineurs, someone who specializes in ageing or maturing cheese. The process of affinage takes patience and benefits from much experience and it results in bringing out a cheese’s distinct characteristics and defining features such as textures, flavor, aromas, and rind development.  

World renowned Rodolphe Le Meunièr is a master affineur and comes from a family of cheesemakers. His grandmother made goat cheeses, his father carried on the tradition and today Rodolphe is in business with his sister in the Loire Valley. In 2007 Rodolphe was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) and Meilleur Fromager International (Best International Cheesemonger) and he continues to be regarded as such.

Rodolphe works with the finest cheesemakers and uses his years of knowledge and experience to express the full potential of the cheeses. He ensures that at their peak maturity they are the embodiment of the terroir from which they come in terms of aroma and flavor.  During the affinage process he carefully monitors the environment in which they age, controlling the temperature and humidity. This attention to the smallest detail leads to consistent and exemplary standards and quality of product, aka, the very best tasting cheese! Throughout all of this Rodolphe seeks to share his knowledge and demonstrate to his customers the beauty of good cheese. 

This assurance of quality is why the Rodolphe Le Meunier name is so well regarded and it's why we’ve always carried an excellent collection of his cheeses, including exclusives to the RLM name, Crémeux des Citeaux aux truffes and Jeune Autize. The RLM collection is a beautiful example of French cheese traditions and master craftsmanship. Perhaps even more famous than the cheeses though is RLM Beurre de Baratte. This beautiful golden yellow butter, with matching gold foil wrapping is made in Normandy amongst the salty sea air. Every batch of butter is made of milk from carefully selected farms. It is cultured and churned in the traditional manner of using a wooden butter churn then molded by hand. Believe us when we say once you try this butter there’s no going back. And trust that you won't be disappointed with any of the array of cheeses offered from the Rodolphe Le Meunier collection!