Man, that’s a complicated name for such a small, squat bottle of wine, right? But, trust me, once you’ve had a glass or two, ‘Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle’ will just roll off your tongue. The wine comes from the adjoining appellations of Morgex (more-djay) and La Salle, two steep hillsides that roll like a curtain along the alpine foothills of the northernmost part of Valle d’Aoste; just a few kilometers from the Mont Blanc tunnel to Chamonix, France. The singular grape variety planted here is an ancient cultivar called Prie Blanc, named as such because, the old timers say, the local priests (called prier) of the time preferred to use the local white for their communions, as opposed to a red wine that might stain their white hassocks. The vines are, and have always been, self-rooted, as the phylloxera root louse found the temperatures up here too cold to thrive. The extreme climate and the rocky, virtually non-existent soil makes for very low yields of intensely flavored, very perfumed white wine with a waxy, honeyed sort of sneaky richness and piquant, totally unique flavors. Ermes Pavese, his wife, and their energetic Jack Russell ‘Spock’ (the Paveses are avid Star Trek groupies) are considered the most important growers in the district and, with some help from the local government, they’ve embarked on an ambitious project to painstakingly restore their vineyard terraces to their original Roman era glory, while, at the same time, continuing to make sensational wine in their tiny cantina some 20 minutes’ drive away. Their Prie Blanc is, indeed, an authentic taste of Valle d’Aoste- a breathtaking expanse of bright, clean mountain air surrounded by the jagged snow-capped teeth of the French and Swiss alps. Predictably for a wine grown in one of the highest spots in Europe, the acidity is amazingly vibrant and frames a lifted nose of citrus peel, quince, white flowers, mountain honey and freshly picked green tea. This performs marvelously with a wide variety of dishes; from salty, briny fresh seafood and fish from the local cold mountain streams, all the way to frito misto, sausages, dumplings and all kinds of poultry and pork dishes.