Cheeses of Fort des Rousses
A nineteenth-century military fort in the high Jura whose vaulted galleries now age tens of thousands of wheels of Comté.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: December to March for Mont d'Or; June to September for pasture.
The Fort des Rousses was built in the nineteenth century on a high plateau near the Swiss border, to guard the pass from Geneva. Its thick stone vaults, buried under earth, keep a steady cool temperature and high humidity. Since the late 1990s they have been used as ageing cellars for Comté, and the fort now holds one of the largest stocks of the cheese anywhere.
Cellars in a fort
Young Comté arrives from village fruitières and is laid on spruce boards in the galleries. Cellar workers turn, rub and salt the wheels and tap them with a hammer to judge the paste inside. The cheese stays for many months, sometimes two years or more, and the steady climate of the fort lets it ripen slowly. Visits and tastings have been offered in parts of the fort.
Les Rousses
Les Rousses is a ski and hiking resort at over 1,100 metres, with lakes, forests and cross-country trails. The plateau is also the home of Vacherin Mont d'Or, made only in winter and bound in spruce bark. In summer, Montbéliarde cows graze open pastures, and in winter the area is one of the snowiest in the Jura.
A trail idea for Fort des Rousses
- Fort des Rousses Visit the galleries where Comté is aged, where tours are offered.
- Lac des Rousses A lake on the plateau for walks and swimming.
- A cheese shop Taste Comté of different ages and, in winter, Mont d'Or.
- La Dôle A summit over the Swiss border with views of the Alps.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Les Rousses" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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