Famous monastery of the Cistercian Order in a wooded valley behind the municipality of Eltville-Hattenheim in the Rheingau. A first settlement at this site was made by Augustinian canons in 1116. In 1136, Cistercian monks from the mother monastery of Clairvaux (Champagne) settled the area, which is considered the founding year of the monastery. Allegedly, they also brought Pinot Noir (late Burgundy) and other varieties with them. 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 Taunus slopes were cleared, and by the beginning of the 13th century, the vineyards had reached their present size. Around 1500, Eberbach Monastery owned 700 acres of vineyards; of the yield, the monks had over half sold.
In the Middle Ages, red wine was generally grown more than white wine in all German wine-growing regions, often as a mixed set. Pinot Noir in the Rheingau is first mentioned in a foundation in 1470, when the Eberbach monks were given a "Clebroit-Wyngart" in the Hattenheim district (Klebrot is a synonym for Pinot Noir). In 1463, the Mainz monastery of St. Jakob demanded that its tenants remove all red vines and "wysse an die Statt (zu) setzen". The reason was that the Rheingau winegrowers, and especially the Eberbach monastery, were doing a brisk wine trade in Cologne. There, however, they were exposed to strong French competition. Therefore, they concentrated mainly on the cultivation of white varieties, especially Riesling.
