Ruscum '24

If Coenobium is the introduction to the Monastero Suore Cistercensi, Ruscum is the revelation. Named after the butcher’s broom plant (Ruscus aculeatus) that grows wild around the monastery’s vineyards in Vitorchiano, Lazio, this is the nuns’ most ambitious and age-worthy cuvée — a skin-contact white of extraordinary depth and complexity.

Like Coenobium, it is a blend of Verdicchio, Trebbiano, and Malvasia, fermented and aged in terracotta amphorae following the ancient Georgian method introduced to the monastery by the legendary Josko Gravner. But Ruscum spends longer on the skins and more time in amphora, resulting in a wine of greater structure, concentration, and longevity.

Deep amber-gold in the glass. The nose is profound and layered: dried fig, saffron, beeswax, toasted walnut, orange marmalade, and a savoury, almost meaty depth that unfolds slowly over time. On the palate, it is full-bodied and commanding — rich, grippy tannins, vibrant acidity, and a finish of extraordinary length that lingers with notes of dried fruit, spice, and mineral earth. Decant for at least an hour, or cellar for years.

A wine of genuine rarity and spiritual weight.