Producer

Cave Mont Blanc

I have reviewed two wines from Cave Mont Blanc, all from the 2023 vintage, across Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle and Valle d'Aosta. All are Prié Blanc. Scores range from 94 to 95, averaging 95; the highest is the Cave Mont Blanc Blanc Du Blanc Metodo Classico Brut Prie Blanc (95 points).

Cave Mont Blanc represents heroic viticulture at the edge of possibility. This cooperative, founded by local farmers to preserve their heritage, farms some of the highest vineyards in Europe, at up to 1,200 metres in Morgex and La Salle, in the Aosta Valley at the foot of Mont Blanc. Its focus is Prié Blanc, a rare native variety grown only in the Valle d’Aosta. Because phylloxera cannot survive the cold, the vines are ungrafted and own-rooted, trained on low pergolas that capture the heat radiating from the ground.

The Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle is a pure distillation of alpine terroir: white flowers, green apple, citrus, alpine herbs and wet stone on a crisp, precise palate with a touch of salt.

The same grape makes “Blanc du Blanc”, a Metodo Classico Brut with a fine, persistent mousse and notes of green apple, lemon, pear and brioche. It is a sparkling wine of the Alps for lovers of Champagne who want something tied to a unique place, perfect as an aperitif or with oysters, alpine cheese and delicate fish.