Ancho Chile Cacciota : Mozzarella Company : Dallas, TX
This is a Texas-style Monterey Jack cheese, seasoned with Ancho and La Cocina chiles. It is mellow, savory, and semi-soft in texture.

Apricot Ginger Chevre* : Mackenzie Creamery : Hiram, OH

Baby Buche : Mackenzie Creamery : Hiram, OH
This fresh goat cheese has a rich, creamy texture and mild flavor. It is made with milk from goats living just three miles from the farm.

Barely Buzzed* (1st place) : Beehive Cheese Co. :  Uintah, Utah
This unique coffee and lavender hand-rubbed cheese has subtle notes of butterscotch and caramel.

BellaVitano® Gold (*3^rd place) : Sartori Company : Plymouth, WI
This rich, creamy cheese is inspired by traditional, Italian farmstead cheese. It begins in the mouth like a Parmesan and finishes with hints of butter. It has a nutty flavor with fruity notes.

Big John’s Cajun Rub (*3^rd place) : Beehive Cheese Co. : Uintah, Utah
This spicy hand-rubbed cheese packs a heated punch as you near the rind. Made from the milk of local Jersey cows, the combination of sweet creaminess and spice make it a great addition to any cheese plate.

Big Woods Blue (*2^nd place) : Shepherd’s Way Farm : Nerstrand, MN
This full-flavored blue cheese blends the creaminess of sheep’s milk with a spicy, complex flavor.

Black Pepper BellaVitano® (*1^st place) : Sartori Company : Plymouth WI
Cracked black peppercorns add a spicy zestiness to Sartori Company’s rich, nutty, creamy BellaVitano cheese.

Brie (*2^nd place) : Brazos Valley Cheese : Waco, TX
This rich cheese has a creamy, runny center encased in a thin, edible white rind. It is made from cow’s milk.

Brie Triple Crème (*2^nd place) : Old Europe Cheese : Benton Harbor, MI
This cheese is renowned for its buttery interior and soft, white bloomy rind. It is made from cow’s milk.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar : Cellars at Jasper Hill : Greensboro, VT
Cabot’s cheddar cheese is aged at the Cellars at Jasper Hill, where it develops a nutty, complex, and perfectly sharp flavor profile.

Cabra La Mancha : FireFly Farms : Accident, MD
This is a Spanish-inspired tome (table cheese) with a flavorful washed rind — perfect for melting or enjoying on a cheese board.

Calvander : Chapel Hill Creamery : Chapel Hill, NC
Sharp and bursting with flavor, Calvander is made from raw, grass-fed Jersey cow’s milk and aged for 7-12 months.

Camembert Fermier (*2^nd place) : Old Europe Cheese : Benton Harbor, MI
This Camembert is creamy and rich, with a chalk-white heart. Its rind bears the characteristic reddish stains of perfect ripening.

Carmod : Bellwether Farms : Sonoma County, CA
An Italian-inspired cheese, Carmody is based on a pecorino recipe, with a flavor profile that highlights the buttery flavors of Jersey milk.

Charloe : Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese : Defiance OH
This raw milk, washed rind cheese is aged 60-120 days. Its aroma and flavor hint at toasted nuts and nutrient-dense grasslands.

Cheddar (*3^rd place) : Brazos Valley : Cheese, Waco, TX

Chocolate Lab : Looking Glass Creamery : Fairview, NC
This aged cow’s milk cheese is washed in a brine which results in a dusty red rind. Each wheel is rubbed with crushed cocoa nibs.

Cognac Fig Chevre (*3^rd place) : Mackenzie Creamery : Hiram, OH

Cremont (*2^nd place) : Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery : VT
Cremont is a mixed-milk cheese (cow and goat). It combines the nutty taste of crème fraiche with a creamy texture, and a wrinkled rind.

Cumberland : Sequatchie Cove Farm : Sequatchie, TN
This rustic tome is aged for 90 days and has a natural rind. The flavor is buttery and earthy with a tangy, grassy notes.

Dulcinea (*1^st place) : Lark’s Meadow Farms : Rexburg, ID
Duclinea is an original recipe made from raw sheep’s milk in the Basque style. It has an earthy flavor, subtle tang, and fruity notes.

Edam (*3^rd place) : Old Europe Cheese : Benton Harbor, MI
This cow’s milk cheese has a characteristic red wax coating and mellow, slightly acidic flavor that makes it ideal for cooking.

Eden (*1^st place) : Brazos Valley Cheese : Waco, TX
This creamy brie has a line of vegetable ash running through the center; each wheel is wrapped in edible fig leaves.

Fini Cave Finished Cheddar : Caves of Faribault : Faribault, MN
This cow’s milk cheddar is aged two years before coming to the sandstone Caves of Faribault for finishing. Cave-finishing accentuates the cheese’s floral nuances and provides a smooth, earthy flavor with a hint of sulfides.

Flagship : Beecher’s Handmade Cheese : Seattle, WA
The signature cheese at Beecher’s, Flagship is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheddar (aged 15 months) with a robust, nutty flavor.

Flashback Family of Chevres (*3^rd place for Purple Haze) : Cypress Grove Chevre : Arcata, CA
These flavored chevres (soft goat cheeses) include Sgt. Pepper (four peppers, exotic spices, and pepper threads), Purple Haze (lavender and wild fennel pollen), PsycheDillic (fragrant dill pollen), and Herbs de Humbolt (hand-mixed blend of Herbs de Provence).

Friesago : Shepherd’s Way Farms : Nerstrand, MN
This is a semi-hard sheep’s milk cheese with a piquant, slightly nutty flavor. It is hand-dipped in black wax for aging.

Gouda : Old Europe Cheese : Benton Harbor, MI
This gouda is true to the original Dutch style with a supple, creamy flavor and a bright, golden hue.

Grand Cru Gruyere : Roth Käse USA : Madison, WI
This Gruyere is aged over four months, resulting in a smooth, mellow flavor with light floral notes. It melts well, and is ideal for cooking.

Helen : Lark’s Meadow Farms : Rexburg, ID
This 100% raw milk cheese has grassy notes and a naturally-produced yellow color from pastured cows.

Herbs de Provence Marinated Goat Gheese : Stone Hollow Farmstead Creamery : Harpersville, AL
This marinated goat cheese marries artisan cheese with ingredients grown in the herb garden on Stone Hollow’s farm. The herbs are steeped into the goat cheese, and like a fine wine, they improve the flavor of the cheese with age.

Humboldt Fog (*3rd place) : Cypress Grove Chevre : Arcata, CA
This soft, surface-ripened cheese is creamy in texture with a subtle, tangy flavor. Each wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior, giving it a distinctive, cake-like appearance.

Landaff : Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese : Defiance, OH

Log (*1^st place) : Laura Chenel’s Chèvre : Sonoma, CA
This fresh goat’s milk cheese has a mild flavor and a soft, spreadable texture. It is formed in the traditional French elongated shape.

Medium Cheddar : Tillamook County Creamery Association : Tillamook, OR
This reach and creamy cow’s milk cheddar is aged naturally for at least 60 days.

Monterey Jack (*3rd place) : Tillamook County Creamery Association : Tillamook, OR
This cheese has a fresh, mild flavor, making it perfect for chili rellenos, enchiladas, or as a delicious snack.

Moody Blue : Roth Käse USA : Madison, WI
This rich blue cheese is delicately smoked over fruit wood to create subtle smokey undertones with hints of roasted nuts and coffee.

Oregon Blue : Rogue Creamery : Central Point, OR
Aged at least 90 days in Roquefort-style caves, this blue cheese is smooth and subtle in flavor. It is made with raw cow’s milk.

Queso de Mano (*3rd place) : Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy : Longmont, CO
This robust cheese is nutty in flavor, with herbal hints. It is made from raw goat’s milk, and it is aged for a minimum of four months.

Red Clouds : Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy : Longmont, CO
This soft, washed-rind cheese has a reddish rind and powerful flavor that is balanced and complex. It is made with raw goat’s milk.

Rouge et Noir Schloss : Marin French Cheese : Petaluma, CA
This brick is sharp and pungent with hints of caramel and toasted almonds. It is smear-ripened and aged for up to 5 months.

SarVecchio® Parmesan : Sartori Company : Plymouth, WI
This Parmesan cheese is fruity, with hints of lightly roasted caramel, and is aged until it crumbles beautifully.

Seastack : Mt. Townsend Creamery : Port Townsend, WA
Seastack is a soft-ripened cheese with a dusting of vegetable ash that enhances its earthy flavor and visual appeal.

Sharp Cheddar : Tillamook County Creamery Association : Tillamook, OR
This sharp, zingy cheddar develops its full-bodied flavor with at least 9 months of aging.

St. Pete’s Select Blue : Caves of Faribault : Faribault, MN
St. Pete’s Select is a premium blue cheese available in limited quantities. The raw milk cheese is cave aged for a minimum of 100 days.

TeaHive : Beehive Cheese Co. : Uintah, Utah
As Beehive’s newest addition to the family, TeaHive is a “feel good” cheese. The soothing qualities of black tea and the relaxing properties of bergamot combine to produce a creamy cheese with rich fragrances of orange blossoms in April.

Tome : Laura Chenel’s Chèvre : Sonoma, CA
This pale ivory goat’s milk cheese has a texture similar to aged cheddar. It has a rich, nutty aroma with a sweet caramel finish.

Truffle Tremor : Cypress Grove Chevre : Arcata, CA
The classic flavor of truffle meets the velvety perfection of ripened goat’s milk cheese. Earthy, elegant, and sophisticated.

Weybridge : Cellars at Jasper Hill : Greensboro, VT
This certified-organic cow’s milk cheese has a delicate bloomy rind that imparts a subtle, earthy aroma to the creamy cheese beneath.