This Paien is white wine produced by the Denis Mercier winery in Sierre, a town of Canton Valais in Switzerland. Paien is the local name of the Savagnin / Traminer grape. This grape might also be called sometimes Heida, which is the name of the grape in the German-speaking part of the same area, then called Wallis. Yes, Swiss wine appellations could be sometimes as confusing as the diversity of the geographical and cultural landscape of Switzerland ;O) This barrel-aged 2016 vintage offers fine perfumes of pineapple and oak. Apricots aromas dominate in the palate with hints of vanilla and a little bit of minerality. This Paien 2016 from Denis Mercier has a nice amplitude and a long-lasting finish. An excellent wine that I would have easily confounded with a nice Burgundy Chardonnay in a blind tasting.
Producer: Denis Mercier, Crêt-Goubing 42, 3960 Sierre, Switzerland
Website: https://www.denismercier.ch/
Appellation: AOC Valais
Grape varieties: Savagnin (Traminer)
Price range: High
Tasting date(s): March 2020
