WTN: 2007 Coenobiums

2007 Monastero Suore Cistercensi S.O. Trappiste IGT Lazio “Coenobium”
The light-brown honey hay almost-beer and cidery notes have me worried at first, because that is usually a complete turn-off for me with wines. But, the palate is balanced with slightly-sweet peach succulent notes and delicate florals that grab my attention and command my interest. Over several hours it shows all kinds of faces, and the overwhelming majority of them are nice ones. A delicate beer-like floral sweet and spicy refreshing pleasure that made me very very happy. Went very well with red pepper and zuchinni pizza with almond and lettuce salad.

2007 Monastero Suore Cistercensi S.O. Trappiste IGT Lazio “Coenobium Rusticum”
Darker, more intense, and tighter than above. Gesche likes this one better (and I’m just happy that she’s getting excited about a wine) and I can see how it is both more complex and more delicate than above. However, this bottle shows a bit flatter than I would like. Perhaps that is the aging curve backing off the succulent fruit from earlier months? The earthy tannic white wine cherry flavors are all fine and good and fun and interesting, but the tilt towards flat and metallic is placing this bottle in second place for me. Same stuff on day two, although in the grand scheme of things both wines gave enough fun that I plan to buy more and see what the next bottles are like.

Gesche has good taste! Loved the second one recently, but after a whole day in the decanter.

Have one bottle of the first and another of the second for exactly the same sequence sometime soon.

Interesting report. Did the Rusticum change at all over the course of its consumption? Flat and metallic doesn't sound familiar, but I didn't go through a whole bottle.

Are you in Cambridge now?

Did the Rusticum change at all over the course of its consumption? Flat and metallic doesn't sound familiar, but I didn't go through a whole bottle.

I tasted it over 24 hours. By the second day it had loosened up a bit but was still too flat and metallic for my tastes. By that I don't mean metal was the dominant flavor. All the earthy cherry white wine tannin stuff was there. But without the succulence and zip that others have experienced so the rust was too apparent for my tastes. Of course it is probably the case that no two bottles of this wine show the same.

Are you in Cambridge now?

Indeed. A whole new world!

Flat and metallic doesn't sound familiar.

Ditto. Maybe an overzealous nun dropped a crucifix into the fermentation tank.

I lived in Cambridge while going to Berklee College of Music in the early 80s and my first memory is shopping at the Harvard Coop, where I saw sweatshirts for sale saying "Harvard, the Vanderbilt of the North." Near closing time, a solemn voice came over the P.A. and said Ladies and gentlemen, and those from Maine, we will be closing in 15 minutes. Both, of course, had to be explained to me.