Famous monastery of the Cistercian Order in a wooded valley behind the community of Eltville-Hattenheim in the Rheingau. Augustinian canons first settled on this site in 1116, and in 1136 Cistercian monks from the mother monastery of Clairvaux (Champagne) settled in the area, which is considered the year the monastery was founded. It is said that they also brought the Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir) and other varieties. The first construction phase of the monastery took place between 1145 and 1160, the second between 1170 and 1186, and the extension of the monastery building in stone took place between 1190 and 1230. In the 12th century, the slopes of the Taunus were cleared, and at the beginning of the 13th century, the vineyards were in line with today's standards. Around 1500 Kloster Eberbach owned 700 acres of vineyards; the monks sold more than half of the yield.
In the Middle Ages, more red wine than white wine was generally grown in all German wine-growing regions, often in mixed sets. The Pinot Noir in the Rheingau is first mentioned in a foundation in 1470. At that time the monks of Eberbach received a "Clebroit-Wyngart" in the district of Hattenheim (Klebrot is a synonym for Pinot Noir). In 1463, the Mainz monastery of St. Jacob demanded that its tenants remove all red sticks and "wysse (put) in their place". The reason was that the Rheingau vintners and especially the Eberbach Monastery were engaged in a lively wine trade in Cologne. However, there they were exposed to strong French competition. Therefore, they concentrated mainly on the cultivation of white varieties, especially Riesling.
