Where to Find Great Cheese in Napa Valley

By Janet Fletcher

Editor's note: As our year-end programming highlights Napa Valley Features' top stories of the year, we thought our readers might enjoy a timely reminder of where to find some of the finest cheese options in Napa Valley. This short but informative piece comes from Janet Fletcher, one of our new contributors. As the author of the popular Planet Cheese blog and a respected educator on all things cheese, Janet brings an expert’s perspective. Her insights make a delightful addition to this season’s lineup.

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Wine brought me to Napa Valley, but it might be the cheese that keeps me here. Quite possibly we have more good cheese counters per capita than any region of the country. It should come as no surprise if we do because nothing accompanies a fine bottle of wine — or even a Monday-night bottle of wine — better than a cheese course. If you’re serving cheese this holiday season (and who isn’t?), arm yourself with this opinionated guide to the best places in the valley to shop for cheese and what to buy when you get there.

Mary dans les Étoiles, an elegant ashed French goat cheese, showcases Whole Foods' exceptional selection — Janet Fletcher Photo

As a cheese blogger and educator, I’ve been prowling Napa Valley’s cheese counters for more than two decades. They come and go (remember Dean & DeLuca?), and they wax and wane, depending on who is ordering the inventory, but the following merchants all have plenty to offer the cheese-lover. From south to north:

Oxbow Cheese Merchant (Napa) is the stop for Gouda enthusiasts. You could put together an entire cheese board with top-notch Gouda selections alone. My four picks would be Ewephoria, an unusual sheep Gouda from Holland; California’s Oakdale Gouda, created by Dutch immigrants; Saenkanter, a superb value at $19 a pound; and my favorite, the exquisite OG Kristal from Belgium. The baked lemon ricotta from Puglia is a rarity at cheese counters and fun to serve warmed for breakfast if you have holiday guests.

OG Kristal, a dazzling Belgian Gouda, is the star of the Oxbow Cheese Merchant's impressive lineup — Janet Fletcher Photo

At Whole Foods (Napa), stock up on Norwegian Snøfrisk, a super-spreadable goat cheese for bagels and dips. The store always has a good selection of Jasper Hill cheeses from Vermont, and you can never go wrong with Jasper Hill. Le Maréchal, a sublime Swiss raw-milk cheese, is exclusive to Whole Foods and seriously underpriced. Keep an eye out for Mary dans les Étoiles, an ashed French goat cheese and Whole Foods exclusive that’s a textbook example of this style.

Le Maréchal, a raw-milk Swiss cheese exclusive to Whole Foods, is a sublime and underpriced treasure — Janet Fletcher Photo

I don’t buy a lot of cheese at Trader Joe’s (Napa), but I do get one staple there. My fridge is never without the store’s private-label Greek feta, essential for crumbling into holiday salads with shaved persimmons or pears and toasted walnuts. You would have to hunt to find a better price on Greek feta. Costco’s private-label feta beats it, but you have to buy a lot.

Oakville Grocery (Oakville) has seen better days in the cheese department, but it’s still worth a stop, especially if you’re a Francophile. I was pleased to see two favorites there recently, the luscious Crémeux des Cîteaux, an outstanding triple cream cheese, and the farmstead Camembert from Ferme de la Tremblaye. Farmstead means it’s made on the farm, not in a factory, increasingly uncommon for Camembert. This Camembert has a big, beefy aroma and a plush texture — features hard to obtain with pasteurized milk. Pick up a crusty Della Fattoria baguette at the cheese counter to go with these creamy selections.

Sunshine Foods offers French gems like Tomme per Diou, an aged Basque beauty with layers of flavor — Janet Fletcher Photo

Sunshine Foods (St. Helena) is currently the best place in the valley to shop for cheese, in my estimation. I write this with some trepidation because the head cheese-buyer just left, but I’m hopeful the service and ambitious selection won’t change. Sunshine may be the only merchant in the valley that allows shoppers to taste before they buy, a practice that was more widespread before COVID. The inventory is heavy on French and Italian imports, purchased from the most selective distributors. Look here for exquisite French creations such as Jeune Autize, a Morbier-style goat cheese; aged Basque wheels such as Secret de Compostelle and Tomme per Diou; Loire Valley gems like Valençay and Délice du Poitou; and bubbles-friendly Grès de Champagne, Langres and Gratte-Paille. I rarely leave Sunshine without a tub or two of Madame Loïk, a fluffy fresh cheese from Normandy, and I can count on finding perfectly ripe Italian Robiolas and super-perishable imports that nobody else stocks, like CasArrigoni’s Crescenza for melting on polenta.

Cal Mart (Calistoga) has a grab-and-go cheese department with a better selection than you might expect from a small-town market. On a recent visit I spotted a few treasures: Adarré, an aged goat-sheep wheel from the French Pyrenees; Ireland’s creamy Cashel Blue; and L’Étivaz, one of Switzerland’s most admired raw-milk wheels. If you’ve ever wondered what extra age does to Cheddar, pick up a piece of the Hook’s 10-Year Cheddar here. It’s from Wisconsin, not from England, but you won’t be disappointed.

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• Weekender Encore: Celebratory Atmosphere Welcomes Costco to Napa Valley

• Weekender Encore: Ted Hall of Long Meadow Ranch — A Musician Hiding in a Vintner’s Body

• Celebratory Atmosphere Welcomes Costco to Napa Valley

• More Than 20 Years Later, Napans Reflect on 9/11

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Janet Fletcher is the author of “Cheese & Wine” and “Cheese & Beer.” She writes the Planet Cheese blog and teaches cheese-appreciation classes around the valley. Her World Cheese Tour tastings in Napa are held monthly from February through November.

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