Monastero Suore Cistercensi 'Coenobium Ruscum' Bianco, Lazio, Italy 2024

In the medieval village of Vitorchiano, ninety minutes north of Rome, seventy Cistercian nuns have tended five hectares of vineyards organically since the early 1990s. Under the guidance of renowned consultant Giampiero Bea, son of the legendary Paolo Bea, these sisters craft wines of remarkable purity and grace, producing minimal-intervention expressions that reflect both their devotion and the volcanic terroir of Lazio. Ruscum represents their most textural and complex white wine expression, with only 4,000 bottles produced annually, predominantly for the American market.

• WINEMAKER: Giampiero Bea (consultant) and the nuns!
• FARMING: Certified Organic
• VARIETY: Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdicchio, Grechetto
• TERROIR: The estate vineyard sits on volcanic soils in Vitorchiano, located at the foot of Mount Cimini in the Lazio region. These ancient volcanic soils contribute pronounced minerality and distinctive characteristics to the wine.
• VINIFICATION: All grapes are harvested together by hand and co-fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel and fiberglass tanks. The juice undergoes extended maceration on the skins for two weeks or more, extracting deep color, flavor, and texture from the fruit. No temperature control, added yeasts, or stabilization is employed.
• AGING: Extended aging on fine lees in stainless steel and fiberglass tanks before bottling.
• TASTING NOTES: This orange wine displays a captivating deep golden to amber hue. The aromatic profile is rich and complex, with apricot jam, ripe pear, grapefruit rind, and white pepper mingling with hay, wildflowers, gunflint, and distinctive anise notes. The volcanic terroir expresses itself through penetrating minerality and an earthy, smoky character. Despite the extended skin contact, tannins remain well-integrated rather than drying, creating a wine that is both dense and elegant with remarkable textural depth. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
• FOOD PAIRINGS: The wine's expressive minerality and herbal complexity complement grilled seafood, roasted vegetables, fresh pasta with pesto, salty appetizers, aged cheeses like sharp Gouda, and even duck preparations. Best served with a slight chill.