Ermes Pavese Private Dinner

New York, NY
Tasted Saturday, March 28, 2015 by kevinacohn with 539 views

Introduction

I organized this dinner with a few friends to explore the full range of Ermes Pavese's range of Prié Blancs. A few last-minute additions filled out the line-up.

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

  • 2010 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle Metodo Classico

    Italy, Valle d'Aosta, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle

    Disgorged February 2013 (my previous note was for the June 2013 disgorgement of the same vintage). This remains a very fine, chiseled wine, with notes of chalk, finely crushed rocks, and what I can only describe as hints of chlorine. The mountain air is palpable. Hardly any fruit of which to speak; this is not for the faint of heart. The aromas and mouthfeel lingered long after the wine was finished, although I continued to wonder if it was worth the price. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2013 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle

    Italy, Valle d'Aosta, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle

    Uncharacteristically ripe fruit for this wine—is it the vintage? Aromas of melon, white stone fruits, quince, and mountain herbs. Tasted immediately after the 2010 sparkling wine, which was particularly mineral-driven, the concentration of fruit was striking. I've always found Pavese's Blanc de Morgex to be deceptively complex and suspect this vintage needs a few years to come into its own. I'll lay down my remaining bottles until at least 2017. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2012 Domaine des Trois Toits Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

    France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

    Served blind to compare with Ermes Pavese's 2013 Blanc de Morgex. Our guesses ranged from Vermentino from Liguria (it was mineral and briny) to Chardonnay from Corton (it had chalky tones) to Gavi, but no one suspected Muscadet. Wonderful: high acid but balanced, mouthwatering, delicious. This was an excellent showing, particularly for an oft-maligned grape, and an excellent value at less than $20 per bottle (nearly $10 less than the Pavese). Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2013 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle Le Sette Scalinate Carlo Pavese

    Italy, Valle d'Aosta, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle

    From 1.5L. This is Pavese's old-vines bottling, available only in magnum. Vinification is identical to the basic cuvée. This certainly delivered a "wow" factor that in my opinion justified the (considerably) higher price. More restrained than the basic Blanc de Morgex, it showed a stunning subtlety and complexity of flavors, including nutmeg, cinnamon, and other baking spices. Forget about this for five years and you'll be rewarded. The wine of the night. Bottle #245. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2006 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle Nathan

    Italy, Valle d'Aosta, Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle

    This is my third bottle of this vintage and I've found it to be consistently delicious, albeit a tad expensive. Dried apricots, cheese rinds, and vanilla notes. The one year of aging in wood has given it an intense vanilla flavor (maybe a touch too much) and a slightly syrupy consistency. As always, I found this to be best with cheeses. Right in its drinking window now, although it has the structure to age for a few more years. And how can you not love the label? Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2008 Ermes Pavese Vino da Uva Stramatura Ninive

    Italy

    From 500ml. In preparing for this dinner, I reviewed my note on the 2010 Ninive, which was less than enthusiastic. This bottle yielded a more interesting experience, although it remained underwhelming. There's a slight spiciness to the palate (almost peaty) and some bitterness on the finish, perhaps a result of excessive wood tannins (I suspect this stayed in barrel a few months too long). Not quite as much acid as I'd like to see in a sweet wine. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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  • 2007 Fongoli Montefalco Sagrantino Passito

    Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

    From 375ml. You can't have a wine dinner without at least one bottle of red (right?), so I made this a last-minute addition to our line-up. I'm quite taken with this wine, although of course it isn't on the level of Bea's passito. Exceptionally tannic, but the sweetness from the wine and the fat from our cheese did a nice job of balancing it. Herby, raisiny, and mineral: pretty dark tasty, in my opinion. A nice way to end a meal, and at $25, a nice value, too. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Closing

Asked to rank the wines from favorite to least favorite, I'd do so as follows:

- 2013 Pavese Le Sette Scalinate
- 2006 Pavese Nathan
- 2010 Pavese Metodo Classico
- 2012 Trois Toits
- 2007 Fongoli
- 2013 Pavese Blanc de Morgex
- 2008 Pavese Ninive

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