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Ermes Pavese vineyard

Ermes Pavese

In the highest reaches of the Val d’Aoste beneath Mont Blanc, Ermes Pavese harnesses the Prié grape to express the majesty of his alpine terroir.

In the highest reaches of the Val d’Aoste beneath Mont Blanc, Ermes Pavese harnesses the Prié grape to express the majesty of his alpine terroir. Located in the hamlet of La Ruine, between Morgex and La Salle, the estate has been making wine since 1999, when Pavese began marketing the family’s production under the advice of Marziano Vevey. Starting with only 2 ha of vineyards, Ermes has, in recent years, assembled numerous parcels scattered around Morgex and La Salle to increase his total holdings to about 6 ha. At about 1,200 meters above sea level, these are some of the highest vineyards in Europe.

Ermes Pavese in wine room textured background of grapevines

Prié is the oldest documented cultivar in the Val d’Aoste, and is among the oldest in all of Italy. Genetic parent to, among others, Prëmetta and Mayolet, it gives crystalline wines of vivacity and precision when tended by a conscientious grower like Pavese. Pavese’s vines, trained in the traditional Pergola Bassa system, are so isolated at the end of this valley that they are still planted on their original rootstocks, not threatened by the Phylloxera louse that devastated nearly all of Europe’s vineyards at the end of the 19th century. Producing still, sparkling, skin-macerated and sweet wines, this domaine shows the majesty that wines of the alps can achieve. Illuminating in their youth, recent tastings with some of the Pavese’s oldest vintages illustrates the profundity and complexity that his wines take on after significant bottle age.

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual hoeing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Sandy glacial moraines

Vines

Trained in pergola bassa and planted at 8,000 vines/ha on their own rootstocks, vines are 3-50 years old

Yields

Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in late September to mid-October. Cuvée Ninive is harvested after the region’s first frost, usually in mid-December

purchasing

Estate fruit with c. 5 tons of grapes purchased each year from Pavese’s next-door neighbor. Neighbor’s farming is directly overseen by Pavese

Fermentation

After crushing and a 1-2 day maceration in the press, wines ferment with pied de cuve and selected yeasts in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvée Nathan ferments with pied de cuve and selected yeasts in 2-5 year-old French barriques

Extraction

Bâtonnage following fermentation

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic whole-cluster direct pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

The majority (c. 80%) of vats go through spontaneous malolactic after alcoholic fermentation; in the remaining vats malolactic does not occur

Élevage

All wines, except the cuvée Nathan, age for 9-12 months in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvée Nathan spends c. 12 months in 2-5 year-old French barriques

Lees

Wines remain on fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling. Sparkling wines spend 18 months on the lees

Dosage

Sparkling wines see no dosage and are brut nature

Fining and Filtration

Bentonite fined, sterile cross filtered

Sulfur

Applied at harvest, rackings, and bottling, with c. 84 mg/l total sulfur

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual hoeing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Sandy glacial moraines

Vines

Trained in pergola bassa and planted at 8,000 vines/ha on their own rootstocks, vines are 3-50 years old

Yields

Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in late September to mid-October. Cuvée Ninive is harvested after the region’s first frost, usually in mid-December

purchasing

Estate fruit with c. 5 tons of grapes purchased each year from Pavese’s next-door neighbor. Neighbor’s farming is directly overseen by Pavese

Fermentation

After crushing and a 1-2 day maceration in the press, wines ferment with pied de cuve and selected yeasts in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvée Nathan ferments with pied de cuve and selected yeasts in 2-5 year-old French barriques

Extraction

Bâtonnage following fermentation

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic whole-cluster direct pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

The majority (c. 80%) of vats go through spontaneous malolactic after alcoholic fermentation; in the remaining vats malolactic does not occur

Élevage

steel tanks. Cuvée Nathan spends c. 12 months in 2-5 year-old French barriques

Lees

Wines remain on fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling. Sparkling wines spend 18 months on the lees

Dosage

Sparkling wines see no dosage and are brut nature

Fining and Filtration

Bentonite fined, sterile cross filtered

Sulfur

Applied at harvest, rackings, and bottling, with c. 84 mg/l total sulfur

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