Thistle Hill Farm Farmstead Tarentaise is an aged alpine raw milk organic cheese handmade by John and Janine Putnam on their family farm in North Pomfret, Vermont from the certified organic milk of their grassfed Jersey cows. Tarentaise is a unique American farmstead cheese which reflects the Terroir of Pomfret Vermont and Thistle Hill Farm. The combination of climate, cows, feed and the traditional unmechanized methods of making Tarentaise result in a cheese which can be most closely associated with the Alpine cheeses of France. Unlike the winter cheeses, or those made solely on stored feed, Tarentaise can be compared to the summer cheeses of the Beaufort which are denser, softer and richer in their perfumes than their commercial brethren. Tarentaise is a dense, complex cheese, without the bite of sharpness which can hide the true nature of a cheese. It is smooth, has a subtle nut flavor and a huge presence, while not being too strong. Much of the taste is found in the finish.