Mönchhof, Robert Eymael, Riesling, Mosel, Germany 2020

The Mönchhof (the “Monks House or Monks Court”), formerly a possession of the Cistercian Abbey at Himmerod, is one of the oldest wine estates in the Mosel valley. As early as 1177 documents from Pope Alexander III show the abbey owned vineyards in and around the village of Ürzig. Three centuries after the monks built the vaulted cellars, which are still in use today, the monks completed the estate manor in 1509. After the secularization period, the Eymael family purchased the estate from Napoleon in 1804 at an auction in Paris.

The Mönchhof’s first class vineyards are comprised of the very steep Ürzig Würzgarten, Erden Treppchen and a core holding in one of the most prized jewels in the Mosel valley, the Erden Prälat vineyard. They are planted 100% to Riesling, all with original rootstocks. Archeological digs in the Erden Treppchen vineyard uncovered one of the oldest and largest wine presses north of the Alps. This facility documents that viticulture in the villages of Ürzig and Erden was already viable in Roman times over 2000 years ago.

The Mönchhof is a popular tourist destination where guests can stay in beautiful guest rooms and enjoy the estate’s special ambience at the foot of the Ürzig Würzgarten vineyard. In 2016, Robert Eymael, the sixth generation of the family Eymael, sold the winery to an investor. Cellar and and vineyard master Philippe Conzen now manages the estate since then.