Cave Mont Blanc ‘Blanc de Morgex & de la Salle’ 1187 Extra Brut, Vallee d’Aoste 2012 750ML ($31.95) Buy Now: $28 special

The domaine was founded in the early eighties with the stated purpose of reviving abandoned vineyards along the picturesque slopes of Mont Blanc in the Valle d’Aosta. This northwestern Italian pocket features the highest-altitude vineyard sites in all of Europe; very few machines are even capable of working such extreme topographies – needless to say, they’re seldom employed within the region.

The ‘1187’, made from 100% Prie Blanc, wonderfully tethers the balance between delicate and powerful – it’s a thing of paradoxes. The bubbles are soft yet move quickly along the palate, and the minerals are bracing yet the wine translates as elegant and smooth.… Read the rest