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The name of this obscure, off-the-beaten path appellation in Italy actually takes longer to say than to drive through 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 high in the alpine foothills of the northernmost part of Vallée d’Aoste (Val d'Aosta in standard Italian), just a few kilometers from the Mont Blanc tunnel to Chamonix, France. These vineyards sit on the Roman road and were planted some 2,000 years ago. Hannibal’s elephants likely marched right by these craggy pergola’d terraces now being painstakingly restored by the few hearty souls that farm them.

The singular grape variety planted here is Prié Blanc, an ancient cultivar 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 have always been self-rooted and ungrafted, as the phylloxera root louse found the Alpine temperatures up here too cold to thrive and they’ve never needed to be replanted. The extreme climate and the rocky, virtually nonexistent soil make for very low yields of intensely flavored and perfumed white wine with a waxy, honeyed sort of sneaky richness and piquant, totally unique flavors. The Prié Blanc is, indeed, an authentic taste of Vallée d’Aoste: a breathtaking expanse of bright, clean mountain air surrounded by the jagged, snow-capped teeth of the French and Swiss Alps.

There are only five commercial producers of Morgex et de la Salle, and the widely acknowledged standout is the tiny property belonging to the Paveses, a lovely couple (and their Jack Russell ‘Spock’) dedicated to farming a cobbled-together six hectares scattered around the appellation, most at the stunning elevation of 1,200 meters (~3,930 feet), some of the highest vineyards in Europe.

Ermes’s Blanc de Morgex is sensational. Predictably for something grown at this altitude, the acidity is amazingly vibrant and frames a lifted, fragrant nose of citrus peel, quince, white flowers, mountain honey and freshly picked green tea. I love sitting outside in the warm backyard with this, but, make no mistake about it, the Pavese Prié Blanc truly shines with food. It 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 fritto misto, sausages, dumplings and all kinds of poultry and pork dishes. And with the local Fontina cheese of Vallée d’Aoste? It’s a natural!

Very highly recommended for current drinking or over the next five to seven years.