Hessian State Wineries, Kloster Eberbach – Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese 1964

Hessian State Wineries, Kloster Eberbach – Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese 1964: A liquid monument to nine centuries of wine culture

The 1964 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese from the Hessian State Wineries at Kloster Eberbach is far more than just a rare bottle – it is a testament to the Eberbach Abbey’s winegrowing tradition spanning over 900 years and a liquid monument to one of Germany’s most famous Riesling vineyards. It was produced in a vintage considered exceptional in the Rheingau and embodies the combination of power, minerality and great longevity typical of Marcobrunn.

The winery: Nine centuries of wine culture

The history of the Hessian State Wineries at Eberbach Abbey dates backto 1136, when Saint Bernard of Clairvaux founded the Cistercian monastery at Eberbach. The monks, who had been sent from Burgundy, soon began cultivating vines near their monastery, originally to produce sacramental wine; however, the wine pressed from the monks’ vineyards very quickly proved to be a sought-after commodity. At its peak, the Eberbach wine estate operated 205 branches stretching from Cologne to Worms. Following secularisation in 1803, the estate passed into state ownership – initially to the Duke of Nassau, then from 1866 as the Royal Domaine to the Prussian State, and since 1945 to the State of Hesse. The customer list of the Royal Prussian Estate read like an extract from the European calendar of nobility: Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the German Emperor and the Rothschild banking family all held the wines of Eberbach Abbey in high regard. With around 200 hectares of vineyards, it is Germany’s largest winery and a member of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP).

The vineyard: Erbacher Marcobrunn – a jewel of the Rheingau

The Erbacher Marcobrunn is one of the oldest and most famous vineyard sites in the Rheingau. Covering just 6.7 hectares, the site is situated on the Strahlenberg between Hattenheim and Erbach and faces south with a 5° slope. The name derives from the Marcobrunnen, a culverted spring that once lay on the boundary between Erbach and Hattenheim. Only Riesling is cultivated on the deep, calcareous and clayey marl soils – the famous ‘Marcobrunner’. The vineyard has been documented since the 13th century and, alongside the Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen and Hattenheimer Nußbrunnen, is one of the so-called ‘Brunnenlagen’ (spring vineyards). As early as 1390, the wine produced here was already recognised as a wine of exceptional quality. The Marcobrunn was the first vineyard site in the Rheingau to be mentioned on wine labels – as early as 1726. The wines from this site are described as powerful and complex, with a dense, broad and mineral structure typical of the Rheingau .

The 1964 vintage: an exceptional year

The 1964 vintage is regarded in the Rheingau as one of the great vintages of the 20th century. Count Matuschka-Greiffenclau, who was in charge at the time, expected the 1964 vintage to be of a quality comparable to the legendary 1959 vintage. The climatic conditions of 1964 were characterised by a warm, dry summer, which allowed the Riesling grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The wines of this vintage are characterised by a remarkable acidity profile, mineral character and enormous ageing potential – qualities that make them exceptionally long-lived wines.

Tasting notes: A mature Riesling of rare depth

The tasting notes for the 1964 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese paint a picture of a wine that, even after more than five decades, has lost none of its fascination. A tasting note for an Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Auslese Cabinet 1964 – the same vintage, the same vineyard site, just a higher quality classification – describes the wine as follows: ‘The colour isamber-yellow (with a greenish tinge). The flavour lies somewhere between quince jelly and beeswax, between orange peel and caramel sweets. The pronounced residual sweetness that the wine must once have possessed had almost entirely dissipated. It tasted almost dry. Perhaps the acidity was still so pronounced that the sweetness came through so little? In any case , a magnificent wine from one of the finest Riesling vineyards we have in Germany: the Erbacher Marcobrunn in the Rheingau.” This description captures the essence of a Riesling that has matured for over fifty years: a harmonious balance of sweetness and acidity, a rich, almost waxy texture, and a remarkable liveliness and length.

The condition of the bottles: historical artefacts

The existence of the 1964 vintage is documented by several auction lots. At Christie’s, a lot of twelve bottles of 1964 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese from the Hessian State Wineries at Kloster Eberbach was offered – with the note ‘Offered duty paid, but available in bond’. At Catawiki, a mixed lot comprising 1958, 1960, 1964, 1969, 1971 and 1973 Riesling Auslese, Spätlese and Cabinet was offered, including a bottle of Erbacher Marcobrunn from 1964. On WineBid, a 1964 Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Rüdesheimer Hinterhaus Riesling Beerenauslese Cabinet was auctioned. These auction lots demonstrate the enduring esteem in which this vintage is held by collectors and connoisseurs.

A window into a bygone era

For collectors and connoisseurs, the 1964 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätleseis far more than just a rare bottle – it is a piece of German wine history. It was produced in a year when the vineyards of the Rheingau were under the care of the State of Hesse, and was vinified according to the traditions developed by the Cistercians over the centuries. The monastery’s wine treasury, which dates back to 1706, still holds fine vintages from that period, which rank among the world’s most valuable wines. Anyone who opens such a bottle holds not only a rare Riesling in their hands, but a liquid monument to a bygone era of German viticulture – and a wine that, after more than five decades of ageing in the bottle, has retained remarkable depth, elegance and vitality.