Wines

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. 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.

A blend of the same four grapes (Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdicchio and Grechetto) but, in this instance, the juice is left to ferment on the lees for a period of two weeks or more, extracting all of the flavors, colors and textures of its fruit.  The result is a wine of often deep golden color and penetrating minerality with hints of herbs, particularly anise, and wild flowers.  There are approximately 4,000 bottles produced annually of this cuvée, the overwhelming majority of which comes to the USA.

A lovely, gentle, unadorned wine that is an expression of the monastic life of the people who produce it, from equal proportions of the grape varieties Ciliegiolo and Sangiovese (a clone similar to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) cultivated in the area around the Monastery. The wine undergoes a 15-day natural fermentation without any forced stabilization.