Ermes Pavese "Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle" 2023 Prié Vallée d'Aoste

750ml bottle

12% abv

A stunning wine from the highest vineyard site in Europe in the shadow of Mont Blanc. Because these vineyards are so isolated, Pavese has been able to work with the original, pre-phylloxera root stock since that malady never infiltrated this area when it came sweeping through Europe many years ago. Annual production is about 12,000 bottles of this austere, racy, mineral white wine with vivacity and length.

Straw yellow with golden reflections, on the nose there are evident notes of aromatic, floral herbs (hawthorn) with hints of white fruits (Pere Williams) and a spicy tone of white pepper. Fresh, intense, persistent palate with strong mineral notes. Balanced and aromatic. It goes well with fish and white meats, medium-aged cheeses. Excellent as an aperitif.

In the highest reaches of the Val d’Aoste beneath Mont Blanc, Ermes Pavese harnesses the Prié grape to express the majesty of his alpine terroir. Located in the hamlet of La Ruine, between Morgex and La Salle, the estate has been making wine since 1999, when Pavese began marketing the family’s production under the advice of Marziano Vevey. Starting with only 2 ha of vineyards, Ermes has, in recent years, assembled numerous parcels scattered around Morgex and La Salle to increase his total holdings to about 6 ha. At about 1,200 meters above sea level, these are some of the highest vineyards in Europe.

Prié is the oldest documented cultivar in the Val d’Aoste, and is among the oldest in all of Italy. Genetic parent to, among others, Prëmetta and Mayolet, it gives crystalline wines of vivacity and precision when tended by a conscientious grower like Pavese. Pavese’s vines, trained in the traditional Pergola Bassa system, are so isolated at the end of this valley that they are still planted on their original rootstocks, not threatened by the Phylloxera louse that devastated nearly all of Europe’s vineyards at the end of the 19th century.

Producing still, sparkling, skin-macerated and sweet wines, this domaine shows the majesty that wines of the alps can achieve. Illuminating in their youth, recent tastings with some of the Pavese’s oldest vintages illustrates the profundity and complexity that his wines take on after significant bottle age.