Grand Noir — the Blue in Black Wax

A blue cheese dressed for the evening. Grand Noir starts as fresh milk from regional farms in southern Germany, gets hand-dipped in black wax, and cold-ripens in the dark — Champignon calls the method “Affinage Noir.” The result is the only blue-veined cheese aged in black wax: dark blue marbling through a pale, spoonable paste, with an elegance that has collected medals on both sides of the Atlantic.

The story

Grand Noir is Champignon Hofmeister playing to its strengths: take the Allgäu dairy’s triple-cream instincts, aim them at a blue, and wrap the whole thing in theater. Each wheel is hand-dipped in black wax — not edible, strictly the overcoat — which shields the cheese from light while it ripens at cool temperatures for around two months. Deprived of light and air, the selected cultures flourish into the dark blue marbling that gives the cheese its name and its look: cut it open and the pale yellow-white paste is streaked with blue-green veins like marble.

The medals followed. Grand Noir took Best of Class at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest, Silver at the same contest in 2024, Grand Gold at the Frankfurt International Trophy in 2024, and Bronze at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards in 2025. Champignon’s official line promises “an incomparably smooth consistency and extraordinary mouthfeel” with “a special stronger blue character” — stronger than Cambozola, silkier than most blues that try.

What it tastes like

Bold but butter-smooth. The blue is genuinely present — savory, a little sharp, faintly sweet with age — but the texture is the headline: extremely creamy, silky, melting on the tongue the moment it warms up. The wax aging keeps the rind out of the equation entirely, so there’s nothing between you and the paste. This is the blue for the cheese board’s center, and for blue lovers who’ve outgrown the beginner’s wedge.

Flavor profile: intensity medium-high · creaminess very high · blue bite savory and present · sweetness faint
Aging: ~2 months, cold-ripened in black wax (“Affinage Noir”) · Texture: semi-soft, silky, spoonable at room temperature

How to serve it

Cut through the wax (peel it away — it’s not edible) and let the wheel come fully to room temperature; cold Grand Noir is firm and closed, warm Grand Noir flows. Serve with walnuts, pear, dark chocolate, candied ginger, or dried figs — the Academy of Cheese’s suggested partners — and keep the crackers plain. A little goes a long way on a board; this is a savoring cheese.

Drink with it: A bold red wine or Champagne — the two pairings the maker’s circle keeps coming back to. An Auslese Riesling or a Doppelbock also stand up to it nicely.

Finding it in America

Yes, it’s here. Champignon North America imports it and lists a US wheel (item #21246, 5.5 lb); at retail, Dorothy Lane Market sells it cut to order, Foodland lists it at $28.99/lb, Dearborn Market and Gourmet Garage at $29.99/lb, plus Central Market in Texas and The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. It’s a deli-case cheese — ask for a cut piece rather than hunting a pre-pack. Lactose-free through natural maturation, per the label.