Basque cheese

So I was visiting the East Bay last weekend, and, as I often do when up in Northern California, I hit one of the fancier markets in search of gourmet goodies. Okay, cheese. I usually go for cheese. What can I say, they have a lot of great local cheeses, and the prevalence of wine in the area (Napa? Sonoma?) ensures that there will be a steady supply and rich selection of cheeses. Usually I go to Draeger's in Blackhawk - they have a truly epic selection in a set of reach-ins forming an island within which you will usually find an experienced cheesemonger to help you make your selection. Buuuuut this time it was more convenient to hit Lunardi's in Danville. Decent selection, better certainly than most of the markets down here in OC, but nothing like Draeger's. ANYWAY, I came home with a couple cheeses, including a cut of Petit Basque. I'd heard of Basque cheese, of course, but hadn't tried it before. It's a semi-hard cow's milk cheese with an edible rind. The first surprise, for me, was how "footy" it smelled when I unwrapped it. I expect that from some of the stronger bries and bleus, but I guess I didn't anticipate it from the appearance of the basque. The second surprise was that the flavor was not as sharp as you'd anticipate from the footiness of the scent. I'd equate it to the sharpness of a medium cheddar, actually. (But, you know, not cheddar flavored.) Not exceedingly salty, nutty or buttery, but definitely one I could see serving on a cheese board at a party without "challenging" my guests too much.