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

Cistercian nuns has been organically farming their five hectares of vines in Vitorchiano, Lazio, since the early nineties, but it wasn’t until Paolo Bea began advising them in the early 2000’s that their wines gained a larger audience.

• WINEMAKERS: Giampero Bea & the sisters of Monastero Suore Cistercensi
• FARMING: Organic
• VARIETY: Trebbiano 45%, Malvasia 35%, Verdicchio 20%
  
• TERROIR: From the the Pagliaro vineyard, which faces south and southwest at 1,300 feet above sea level. Limestone-clay and gravel soils with 20+ year old cordon-trained vines. 
  
• VINIFICATION: Produced in an entirely natural manner under the guidance of Giampiero Bea, the Coenobium is a blend of Trebbiano, Verdicchio, and Malvasia, harvested together and co-fermented without added yeasts or temperature stabilization. Aged on its fine lees in steel and fiberglass tanks, it is bottled just before the next harvest without fining or filtering. 
• TASTING NOTES: The nose is evocative of autumn on multiple sensory levels, with aromas of fennel fronds, chamomile tea, almonds, and tangerine that lead into a full but delicately rendered palate. Vitorchiano’s volcanic soils come through with a somber smoke-iron interplay, and glowing acidity lets the savory flavors coat the mouth, yet the overall impression is one of freshness and drinkability.