Ledger / 6–24 months
Hard
Low moisture, high press, long cave. Small mistakes compound for two years, so the numbers matter most here.
Gruyère: A Washed Rind in a Cave That Is Deliberately Too Damp
300 days pH 6.4 34% moisture 35 kg press 22% brine
Alpine wheels are washed for two reasons: to keep the surface from drying into a shell, and to seed it with the orangish bacteria that give the rind its smell and, eventually, some of the paste its flavour. The wash here is weak and frequent, which is the opposite of what a Taleggio wants.
Parmigiano-Style: A 55 C Cook, a 26% Brine and Eighteen Months
540 days pH 6.2 30% moisture 40 kg press 26% brine
This is the most demanding make in the ledger. The 55 C scald that gives the cheese its 30% moisture also kills the culture doing the work, so almost all the acid has to develop in the vat before the curds are drained. Get that wrong and eighteen months later you open a wheel of something that tastes of nothing.