Benedic 2020 by Monastero Trappiste Vitorchiano is a natural red wine made in Lazio with Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo grapes. The wine is made by Italian nuns, guided by natural winemaker Giampiero Bea.
Tasting notes of Benedic 2020 from American wine importer Rosenthal:
"The sisters produce a scant amount of red wine: a charming blend of equal parts Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo called “Benedic.” Despite a two-week maceration, “Benedic” is typically a beautifully pale, translucent wine. Registering just 11% alcohol, its color is calm, soft, and almost coppery—one can sense its gentle nature just from looking at it. A pure, honest nose of red licorice, dried leaves, and fresh pipe tobacco introduces an ethereal caress of a palate with almost no detectable tannins. “Benedic” is a pretty, tasty, plain-speaking wine with no makeup and no pretension, and its softly floral edge puts one in the mind of springtime"
About Monastero Trappiste Vitorchiano - natural wines made by nuns!
Amid Lazio’s volcanic tufa soils, the Cistercian Trappist nuns of Vitorchiano treat winemaking as a form of liturgy. Guided by Giampiero Bea, they hand-tend decades-old vines, ferment with wild yeasts and bottle without frills. The result is “Coenobium,” an amber-tinged, skin-contact white, and “Benedic,” a savoury red—both rustic, quietly oxidative and as honest as the cloister that raises them.
