Ermes Pavese | Vallée d'Aoste

Valle d‘Aosta (or Vallée d‘Aoste) is Italy's smallest and least populated mountainous region, surrounded by the Alps in northern Italy, on the border with France. It was here in 1999 that Ermes Pavese and his wife Milena, founded their winery, in the village of Le Ruine, on the Italian side of the Monte Bianco (or Mont Blanc).

Ermes and Milena follow the entire winemaking process personally, from vineyard to bottling. Their vineyards, totalling five hectares are planted at staggering elevations, between 900 and 1,200 metres above sea level, and are among the highest in Europe. Prié Blanc is the only variety grown here and all the vines are ungrafted, thanks to the high elevations and sandy soils that prevent phylloxera from completing their life cycle. Globally, the plantings of Prié Blanc amount to less than 40 hectares, most of which are in the communes of Morgex and La Salle. Given the difficulties of growing grapes in this alpine environment, vintages can be quite variable, particularly regarding yields.