Seven blue-ribbon winners on one plate. Am I fantasizing or what? Thanks to a little help from my friends, it happened. Guests in last night’s World Cheese Tour class got to taste not only a hand-picked selection of first-place finishers from the recent American Cheese Society competition. Among those seven were the Best of Show, the first runner-up and another cheese that finished in the Top Ten overall. For us cheese lovers, that’s a Grand Slam.

Pulling this off is no easy feat because, as you might imagine, such acclaimed cheeses are in high demand. Thank you to the cheesemakers and distributors who came through with the goods.

As for the tasting order, I placed the blue cheese last, of course, and led off with the two softer cheeses The four hard cheeses were also tasted youngest to oldest, from 6 months to 2-1/2 years. I’ll reveal the People’s Choice at the end of the post (don’t jump ahead!), but here were the headliners of this star-studded evening (clockwise from 12 o’clock):

Butterbloom/Briar Rose Creamery
Dundee, Oregon
Category: soft-ripened cheese from cow’s milk

Made from extra-rich Guernsey milk, this Brie-style cheese is all mushrooms and plushness. Cheesemaker Sarah Marcus calls it a “butter bomb.”

Nicasio Square/Nicasio Valley Cheese
Nicasio, California
Category: farmstead, aged less than 60 days, all milks

Tasted at almost 10 weeks old (more mature than the competition entry), this hefty Taleggio-like square had the beefy, barny aroma you expect from a washed-rind cheese; a thin, tasty rind and a wonderfully supple texture. So impressed by this one.

Hootenanny/Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy
Allison Park, PA
Category: Dutch style, aged less than 9 months, all milks

This 6-month-old Gouda was a couple of months younger than the winning wheel and spicier than I expected, more piquant than sweet. Wheels I’ve tasted in the past have been creamier, with more caramel notes.

Alfred Le Fermier/ Fromagerie La Station
Québec, Canada
Category: farmstead, aged 60 days or more, cow’s milk
Best of Show

An 8-month-old Alpine-style wheel made with the creamery’s own raw milk, the cheese was firm and nutty, with balanced flavors. Compared to a good Comté, it wasn’t as creamy or aromatic, but this was a handsome, well-made cheese and easy to like.

Mariana/ Blakesville Creamery
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Category: sheep’s milk aged over 60 days

The wheel we sampled was a year old and from the same batch that the ACS judges evaluated in June. Coincidentally (or not?), Mariana Marques de Almeida, the sheep farmer who supplied the milk and for whom the cheese is named, was assisting with the cheesemaking that day. In any case, this lovely wheel was firm, nutty and sweet, with a cheesecake aroma and perfect salting.

Vat 17 World Cheddar/Deer Creek Cheese
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Category: sweet Cheddar, all milks, all ages
Top Ten

A guaranteed people-pleaser, Vat 17 is considered a “sweet” Cheddar because the recipe includes Lactobacillus helveticus, a culture that gives Cheddar a nuttier, rounder, less tangy flavor. Vat 17 is always super-creamy and mouthfilling and this sample did not disappoint.

Withersbrook Blue/Jasper Hill Farm
Greensboro, Vermont
Category: flavor added, all milks or mixed milk
First Runner-Up

A cube-shaped block made from raw cow’s milk and matured in a pouch with ice cider, this blue was creamy, fruity and robust. This new creation was competing in its first ACS judging and it placed right behind the Best of Show.