Saint-Nectaire is a cow's milk cheese from the Auvergne region, available from June to December. However, it is best to buy it after September, once it has benefited from eight weeks ripening. Its rind is grey, sometimes reddish, speckled with white or rust-coloured mould, always soft to the touch, with a mouldy scent. When cut, the interior has a silky consistency and a spicy, nutty lactic taste. Saint-Nectaire has its own appellation, or reserved designation of origin.