Seems like I have a “new favorite” cheese practically every week. But this time I really mean it… The Carr Valley Cheese Company’s Cave-Aged Marisa may be the perfect cheese!

A sheep’s milk cheese and possibly the ultimate crowd pleaser, it’s not too strong, not too mild, not too brittle, not too soft. With complex, deep flavors and just enough creamy texture on the semi-firm frame, it reminded me of a Comte but in a less earthy, more New World way.

I offered the cheese at the end of a rather spectacular dinner that included grilled ribeyes and an amazing Shiraz. We had just a smidgen of wine left and wanted a savory something to polish it off in style.

The John Duval 2005 Shiraz Barossa Eligo ($100) is outstanding if you can afford it, with its fragrant, supple blackberry jam and black cherry fruit playing off wet earth, meat and spice notes. Tannic structure stays in the background, and the finish is smooth and complex. Very nice now and over the next 10+ years. Locate this wine online or in your area.