Mönchhof & Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, Weingüter

Disclosure: I have a commercial relationship with this producer. See my ethics and disclosure policy.

The name Mönchhof refers to the monks of the Cistercian Abbey, who planted vines in Ürzig in 1177. It is one of the oldest wine estates in the Mosel, with cellars dating back to 1509. The Eymael family owned the old house facing the river since 1803, following Napoleon's secularization. In 1994, the sixth-generation Robert Eymael bought out his brother and raised the quality standards at Mönchhof beginning in the mid-nineties.

In 2001, Hans Leo Christoffel, from the neighboring, tiny J.J. Christoffel estate, retired and leased his vineyards to Robert Eymael. In 2016, Eymael, who had no heir, sold both wineries to a group of wine-loving Beijing investors, ending 212 years of Eymael Family ownership. Despite the change in ownership, the estate continues to be managed by cellar and vineyard master Philippe Conzen, who has been with the estate since before the sale.

Mönchhof holds excellent, steep, slate vineyards in Ürzig, Erden, Zeltingen, Wehlen, and Kinheim, often on original rootstocks. 10 of the 53 hectares of Ürziger Würzgarten belong to Mönchhof. Holdings in Erdener Treppchen and Erdener Prälat are the other significant sites. The fermentations are with natural yeasts and no Süssreserve. Vinification is mainly in stainless-steel tanks, with some wines aging in traditional Moselfuder.

J.J. Christoffel Erben is a tiny estate with mostly ungrafted vines in excellent sites like Erdener Treppchen and Ürziger Würzgarten. Hans Leo Christoffel, who produced many wines and distinguished them with a star system, retired in 2001 and leased his vineyards to Robert Eymael. Like Mönchhof, J.J. Christoffel Erben is now under the direction of Philippe Conzen. The Christoffel wines often show more weight and spice than Mönchhof's, despite the vines being from neighboring plots and the same sites as the winemaker. Winemaking here is also done through spontaneous fermentation in traditional Moselfuder.

About the 'Happy Prälat' label:

Mönchhof's Erdener Prälat carries the "happy prelate" label that adorns several producers' bottlings from this tiny 1.63-hectare site situated between Ürziger Würzgarten and Erdener Treppchen. Erdener Prälat, like the Mosel's Bernkasteler Doctor and Forster Kirchenstück in the Pfalz, is an exception to the 1971 Wine Law mandate that standardized all Einzellagen (single vineyards) with a default minimum size of 5 hectares.

The exceptions were granted based on historical classifications such as the historic 19th-century Prussian tax map of the Mittelhaardt, or, in the case of Erdener Prälat, a late 1890s trademark registered to the winery Peter Josef Berres (now C.H. Berres / Geschwister Berres), which registered "Erdener Prälat" as a protected trademark. Berres' registration included the illustration of a jovial, rotund Prälat, holding a glass of Riesling up to the light. A Prälat is a high-ranking clergyman.

The kitschy label appears on about a dozen producers' Prälat bottlings, including Mönchhof, C.H. Berres, Dr. Hermann, and Dr. Loosen. It's just one of those things that I've long wondered about but never thought to ask until a visit to Mönchhof in 2026 (I even tasted at Berres in 2024 and didn't think to ask about it!). Philippe Conzen not only gave me the background history but also produced a mock bottle with the label as it was in 1935 (pictured below).

Erdener Prälat was originally a parcel within Erdener Treppchen named 'Im Onnertz.' The tiny 1.63-hectare parcel is an extremely steep, south-facing red-slate cliff. It was carved out and renamed Prälat in the late 19th century, named in honor of Prälat Professor Dr. Franz Steffens, a winemaker's son from neighboring Ürzig. A prized plot, Prälat (or Im Onnertz) is one of the warmest, most sheltered microclimates on the Mosel. Due to inheritance and land transfers over the decades, the tiny Prälat vineyard is split among several families, and rather than squabbling over the famous branding, an agreement was reached to allow producers holding land in the vineyard to use the trademarked "happy prelate" illustration on their traditional releases.