Suore Cistercensi: Second to Nun!
12/12/25 -
The nuns of the Cistercian order are quietly and patiently making gorgeous wines in Vitorchiano, 60 miles North of Rome in Lazio on volcanic soils. Their official name is ‘Monastero Suore Cistercensi’ but the wines are affectionately known in the US as ‘Nun Wine’. In addition to grape vines, the eighty women of the order also farm olive trees and various fruit trees. Everything they do is organic, low technology, and traditional.
When the nuns hit a point where they were making more wine than they were selling in the early 2000’s, they enlisted the business acumen of Paolo Bea. This estate in Montefalco, Umbria is known for local grapes like Sagrantino & Trebbiano Spoletino and is currently run by Paolo’s son, Giampiero. While The Beas assisted with details like exporting relationships and label design, the nuns already had their low intervention farming and low technology winemaking methods which they are consistently faithful to today. The Beas were not there to edit their work, rather to connect them a bit more to the wide world of wine lovers. For this connection, we are grateful! The 2024 vintage also marks 20 years of import to the US.
This year, we are fortunate to have all three wines available and in abundance, Coenobium, Ruscum, and Benedic. I say this because the last release, 2023, was a difficult vintage for the sisters and they made only one wine, Coenobium. Their yearly arrival typically marks the beginning of Winter for me, a reminder to start drinking wines with more texture, spice, and smoke, but underneath this is a notable freshness and brightness of the 2024 vintage.
Their two white wines, Coenobium and Ruscum, are coferments of Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Verdicchio. Coenobium sees lees aging, but no skin contact, and Ruscum sees skin contact. Benedic is their most scarce wine and only red, a blend of Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, and a touch of Merlot. Click ‘View the Wines’ for further tasting notes and details.
While there is a lot to say about the depth of these wines, they also drink quite joyfully and playfully- pop with ease. I personally will be drinking Coenobium and Ruscum on Christmas Eve for Feast of the Seven Fishes. They will shine with flavors like saffron, fennel, garlic, and chili in seafood stew.
-Marisa Licandro
