Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle 2020

The Aosta Valley in the northwest corner of Italy is largely separated from the rest of the country, by the surrounding Alps as well as by language (the region is largely French-speaking). Even relative to the rest of the area, Ermes Pavese’s vines are singularly isolated. At 1200 meters above sea level, these are some of the highest-altitude vineyards in all of Europe. Based in a village with the mournful name of La Ruine, situated between the towns of Morgex and La Salle at the foot of Mont Blanc itself, Pavese’s holdings produce only one grape variety, called prié blanc, that is indigenous to the region. An elegant and complex alpine white, Pavese’s prié comes across crisp and clean, with a long, mineral finish. Organically grown.