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http://www.caveduvinblanc.com
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Gianluca Telloli
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La Cave du Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle is a cooperative recently started by the state government of Vallée d’Aoste in 1983, with the primary goal of saving the viticulture traditions that have been practiced for a millennium in the breathtaking Alpine beauty of the communes of Morgex and La Salle. Morgex and La Salle are located at the very foot of the spectacular Mont Blanc, which separates these rugged French uplands in the Vallée d’Aoste from Italy on the far side of the peak. La Cave du Vin Blanc is currently run by the indefatigable Gianluca Telloli. In 1989 La Cave du Vin Blanc completed their deep and spacious cellars, giving them the modern facilities to produce wine at a world class level. The regions of Morgex and de La Salle have approximately ninety winegrowers, most of whom supply their grapes to the commune, from a patchwork of small individual holdings. These bucolic Alpine regions produce white wines, either still or sparkling, made from the delicate and little seen Prié Blanc grape variety, which is also grown in the Valais region of Switzerland. Prié Blanc is a fine grape that produces a lovely, delicate and complex white wine that beautifully captures the underlying minerality of the soils it is planted in, coupling this with lovely yellow fruit tones and a consistent floral topnote that is redolent of the mountain meadows that dot this region in the high days of summer.
The communes of Morgex and La Salle play host to the highest vineyards in all of Europe, with vines running almost up to the snow line of Mont Blanc and hovering nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. At this altitude, the grapes obviously face some extremes of weather in both the summer and winter, and consequently are cultivated in a very unique system that allows them to withstand snowfall and the steep drops in temperature at night, which can occur even during much of the summer. The vignerons of the two regions have historically cultivated their vines on low lying arbors (called “pergola bassa”), anchored by stone pillars to keep the vines low to the ground and protect them from winter snows and Alpine winds that would take their toll on exposed vineyards.
Given the long history of grape growing in this region, there are many small parcels with vines over 100 years old, the average vine age being around 60 years old. Nearly all of the plantings are ungrafted as well, protected from the scourge of phylloxera by the extreme growing conditions. Typically these small plots of vines are surrounded by stone walls as well, as the stones from the trellis supports and walls act to capture ambient heat during the peak of the summer days, and radiate this back to the vineyards during the cool of the summer evenings. In much the same manner as the famous stones of the vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape add to ripeness, these stone structures form an integral part of viticulture in the Morgex and La Salle provinces. The results are some of the most picturesque vineyards, with the rows of low-rise arbors and tight parcels neatly demarcated by stone walls, and with harvesters often having to lie on their backs in the fall to gather the golden Prié Blanc berries.
The resulting wines of Morgex and La Salle are every bit as aesthetically pleasing as the Alpine vineyards from which they spring, as they couple lovely minerality and intensity of flavor to fine depth and complexity of fruit and floral essences. The sparkling wine is produced by traditional Champagne methods, with the secondary fermentation taking place in bottle and the wine aged for some time prior to its release. The Prié Blanc produces a lovely, bone-dry sparkling wine in these two communes, with the gentle toastiness of sur lees aging dovetailing beautifully with the minerality and floral character of the grape. It is a terrific alternative to California sparkling wines or Spanish Cava, and sells at a very competitive price. The Cave du Vin Blanc produces a pair of dry white wines as well as its bubbly: a classic Vallée d’Aoste Blanc made in the medium-full, fresh and snappy style of the wines from this region that so beautifully works as either an aperitif or a partner at the table for seafood or vegetable dishes, as well as a reserve bottling called “Vini Estremi” made from some of the oldest vines of the members of the co-op, and then fermented one hundred percent indigenous yeasts to deliver greater complexity and character. The wines of the Cave du Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle in the Vallée d’Aoste are some of the most unique and captivating wines to be found, and deserve to be better known for their superb quality.
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