The American Cheese Society's recent competition gave kudos to a number of California cheeses. It's our happy cows, ya know?
Their judging results documentation is enough to make any cheese lover have sweet dreams for weeks. In addition to the judging results, it has a great list of the participating dairies, and how to contact them. The Chronicle tipped me off to the judging, though their article lacks any links to the Society's website or the cheesemakers.