Roncal

Roncal from Navarra is Navarra's first DOP cheese, a firm, herbaceous sheep's milk wheel from the Pyrenean valley, aged for 4 months to achieve a dense, crumbly texture. With a 45% fat content and a price of $22 per pound, it offers a complex, spicy flavor that is 30% more intense than the average semi-cured cheese. This white-paste cheese outperforms #6 Mahón in nuttiness, featuring notes of toasted hay and caramel from the high-altitude grazing of Lacha sheep. Its production is restricted to specific villages, ensuring a handcrafted quality that arouses a warm, lingering finish. Roncal's firmness makes it excellent for grating over soups, and its 5-kilogram wheels mean it's slower to ripen than Garrotxa, but the wait delivers a bold, earthy profile.