2023 Ermes Pavese, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, Valle d’Aoste, Italy.
The geeky cool and mineral driven Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, which comes from one of the highest vineyard sites in Europe on the slopes just below the summit of Mont Blanc, in the alpine region of the Val d’Aoste in Italy’s northwestern region, a stone’s throw from France. This wine is made from the rare Prié Blanc grape, only found here, and this 2023 version, pretty much ideal, shows off varietal purity with hints of lime blossom, lemony citrus, saline infused rock, tart stone fruits and a touch of reductive hazelnut in a medium bodied white that is steely, austere and bracing with loads of acidity. This wine has become a Sommelier favorite in the last decade and is a wonderful talking point aperitif or starter wine with a meal, going well with lighter cuisine and cheeses. The Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, or Valle d’Aoste, is a mountainous region, as mentioned, in northwestern Italy and is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, to the west, then by Valais, Switzerland, to the north and above Piedmont, that sits to the south and east. The Val d’Aoste sees soils that are influenced by granite, gneiss, and schist with some calcareous and rocky areas at higher elevations, like what is found here, adding to the terroir character in Pavese’s wines.
Winegrower Ermes Pavese, who began this label in 1999 from family vineyards, is located in the hamlet of La Ruine, between Morgex and La Salle, and has about 6 hectares of vines, mainly all Prié Blanc, which are all up tt about 1,200 meters above sea level, making these, as noted, some of the highest vineyards in Europe. Interestingly, I understand that Prié (Blanc) is the oldest documented cultivar in the Val d’Aoste, and is among the oldest in all of Italy and because of the high elevation they can be, as seen here, all own-rooted, as Phylloxera is not a problem up here. The remote and independently minded Valle d’Aoste, Italy’s smallest region by area has been fought over for ages, but gets its name from its Roman conquerors, Valley of Augustus, is home to mainly white wines. Pavese’s vines, trained in the area’s traditional Pergola Bassa system, which allows better air flow through the cluster area of the plants that helps keep everything free of rot during the long growing season. Pavese exclusively uses stainless steel for fermenting and aging of his Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, with it seeing 9 months on the lees in tank before bottling, which allows for the subtle textural nuance, clarity of form and plenty of zesty freshness in the bottle, as seen here. Again, as noted above, these wines are highly coveted by Sommeliers and wine geeks, making them pretty hard to find, but are worth some chasing for the curious wine enthusiasts and this vintage in particular is one of my favorites to date.
($41 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive