While winemaking in this place can be traced back to Roman times, most consider the “official” founding of the estate as we know it to be 1335. This is when the Elector of Trier gave the vineyards to Carthusians monks, thus the name of the estate, Karthäuserhof, meaning farm of the Carthusians. The tiny Ruwer Valley is a magical place; it is one of the smallest winemaking regions in Germany with around 200ha under vine.
Compare this to the Mosel which has, in total, around 10,000ha, or, for fun, Chateau Lafite is alone over 100ha in size. The 19ha vineyard now known as “Karthäuserhofberg”, while full of unique slopes and expositions, is predominantly composed of iron-rich, oxidized blue and gray slate.
In fact, Eitelsbach, the name of the surrounding village, is derived from the German word “Eisen,” meaning iron. While the estate is well know for their Prädikat wines, uniquely, Karthäuserhof is equally as famous for its dry Rieslings – today, nearly 70% of the estate’s production is dry.
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