Grape Variety: Blanc de Morgex

Colour:

White

Colloquial name for Prié Blanc (also known as Bernarde in Switzerland) in the communes of Morgex and La Salle.  The vines are grown on steep terraces at an altitude of 1300 metres in the foothills of Mont Blanc. This wine is also known as ‘Bianco dei ghiacciai (glacier wine) - it is indeed the highest region in Europe in which wine is produced. The grapes are trained on bassa pergola (low pergolas) and are picked late - remarkably, they are resistant to snow. The Cave du VIn Blanc is a cooperative of some 150 members, but only some 20 hectares of total vineyard coverage. They make four examples of Prié Blanc. Rayon is straw yellow in colour with pale green nuances, its bouquet evokes mountain herbs with notes of fresh hay, hawthorn and broom; lemon, almond, apple and pear and peach jostle delicately on the nose and the palate tracks the aromas, a crisp attack, is however balanced nicely with intense and agreeable flavours, the finish is persistent with lingering flavours of apple, pear and citrus. Great with fondues! The Vini Estremi (so-called because of the extreme viticulture required to harvest the grapes) is light, superbly crisp and crunchily mineral. The Chaude Lune is a true honey-coloured vin de glaciere, an ice wine from grapes harvested in December/January. It is unique in that the various types of wood (juniper, chestnut, cherrywood) used to age the wine are in fact the vehicles of its flavour.