Monastero Suore Cistercensi S.O. Trappiste
Coenobium
2006
12.5% alc.
IGT
Lazio, Italy
Coenobium. What a strange word for a wine label. What does it mean? The word is taken from the Greek “coinos ,” meaning “common,” and “bios,” meaning “life.” It refers to a community of monks or cenobites living in the same house under one authority. Yep, a monastery—in this case, the sisters of the Cistercian order who reside in Vitorciano, in the Lazio region, one hour north of Rome. The primary grape of this wine is verdicchio, a grape far more prevalent in the white wines of neighboring March than outside Rome. Verdicchio generally produces clean crisp wines. Supplemented by small amounts of the savory grechetto, the highly scented malvasia and trebbiano, Coenobium is a wine of unemphatic flavor. The 2006 vintage has a pale gold core, with aromas primarily of beeswax and chrysanthemum. The palate came dry, with crisp acidity, medium body and alcohol, yielding flavors of apple skin, vanilla, quince, mango and clementine. This is a wine of elegant, simple charm, made so by the assistance of Giampero Bea, who designed the distinctively informal label, a mark of the Bea brand. And what might you eat with Coenobium? I had a simply perfect pasta dish courtesy of Alice Waters’ vegetable cookbook. Take casarecci and toss it with pesto, toasted walnuts and sauteed julienned zucchini. Pax vobiscum.
