Coenobium Rusticum is a white wine made from a blend of organically grown Trebbiano, Malvasia and Verdicchio grapes, which have been fermented on their skins for 15 days. This extended skin contact is rather unusual for a white wine. Skin contact extracts more color and flavor compounds and results in wines with a fuller body but lesser focus on fruit. The Coenobium Rusticum 2008 with its deep copper color thus has a delightfully earthy character (or rustic, as the wine's name suggests).
This orange wine is made by Monastero Suore Cistercensi, sisters of the Cistercian order of a monastery in Vitorchiano, which lies just north of Rome. Monastero Suore Cistercensi is assisted by Montefalco winemaker Giampiero Bea who advised the nuns to make a Rusticum version of their Coenobium wine by leaving the must on the skins.
The nose of the Coenobium is only of medium intensity. The aroma of wet hay and stones is earthy yet delicate. The earthiness, the substance of the land, is interspersed with discreet smells of grapefruit as the wine breathes in the decanter (exposing the wine to air for at least an hour is essential for such a wine). It is dry on the palate, the alcohol is well integrated and the acidity adds a refreshing touch to the rather unusual flavor spectrum of bruised apple, orange peel, nuts and kitchen spices all of which last through a medium length.
The 2008 Coenobium has enough substance to be enjoyed by itself, but it also perfect with a pork roast or a variety of cheeses.