This work compares Cantal cheeses obtained from three groups of 12 Montbéliarde cows fed either a hay-based diet (H) or grazing two mountain pastures: a diversified pasture (74 species) grazed continuously (E) and a less diversified (31 species) old temporary grassland, grazed rotationally (R). Under controlled conditions 27 cheeses were manufactured during three consecutive days in early June, July and late August in 2008. Cheese H was, on average, firmer, less melting and less yellow than cheeses E and R, which did not differ. Total saturated FA (SFA) and monounsaturated FA (MUFA) percentages were respectively higher and lower in H milks than in pasture milks. Vaccenic and oleic acids and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), cheese colour and melting texture decreased during the season in E, while they remained constant in R because of a combined effect of the grass vegetative stage and selective grazing. Our results underline the relationship between milk FA profile and cheese texture. Keywords: