Laura Chenel Goat Cheese

When Laura Chenel started making goat cheese in Sonoma in the late 1970s, relatively few Americans were familiar with the stuff.

By the time Chenel sold the company in 2006, goat cheese had become as common as Kraft singles (and a whole lot tastier). And Chenel was widely known as a dairyland pioneer.

In fact, her company eventually became far and away the biggest seller of artisanal goat cheese in the United States. Even so, when she sold it -- for a seven-figure price -- to the French Rians Group, some might have worried that Laura Chenel, the cheese, would suffer even as the woman prospered.

Well, it's almost a year since the deal was announced. So I thought this might be a good time to try some of the cheese.

The verdict: It's just like I remembered it. Clean fresh tastes, a little bit crumbly. This goat cheese is more dry than tangy, but it has just enough bite to remind you why it is you love goat cheese in the first place. The version I had was laced with rosemary, which gave it a nice aroma and little extra complexity to its otherwise straight-up flavor profile.

To read more about Chenel and last year's sale, here's an excellent NY Times story from 2006: For American Chevre, an era ends.