Eitelsbacher Marienholz Riesling Auslese 1971 - 75cl

Half a century in the bottle, and this Riesling is still standing. It is a Fritz Steinlein bottling from the Eitelsbacher Marienholz, a vineyard in the Eitelsbach valley on the Ruwer, the tiny tributary of the Mosel that grows some of Germany's most age-worthy whites. The year is 1971, one of the truly great German vintages, the sort winemakers still measure others against.

An Auslese is made from hand-selected bunches picked late and touched by noble rot, and this one has spent fifty-odd years turning ripeness into something deeper. The steep slate slopes of the Ruwer give the region's Rieslings their unmistakable spine of acidity, and it is that acidity, more than anything, that has carried the wine this far.

Expect a mature colour, deep amber-gold in the glass. The nose is where age announces itself, honey and dried apricot, beeswax, a curl of petrol and warm stone, candied citrus peel underneath. The palate is gentle and sweet but never heavy, the botrytis fruit stretched long by acidity that still feels bright after all these years. It fades slowly, on honeyed apricot and a saline mineral hum. This is not a wine you gulp. It is one you sit with.

Drink it on an occasion that deserves it, a milestone birthday, an anniversary, the kind of evening you will want to remember. A bottle like this rewards attention.

How to Serve

Serve cool but not cold, around 10 to 12C, so the aromatics have room to unfurl. Use a decent white-wine glass, and stand the bottle upright for a day beforehand to let any sediment settle. Old corks can be fragile, so open it gently and, if you can, decant off the sediment just before pouring.

Where to Drink It

Wiltons on Jermyn Street, all hushed corners and old-school ceremony, is made for a bottle this age. The Wolseley for a grand afternoon that stretches on. Bentley's if you want oysters alongside the honey and acid.

Food Pairings

Try it with a slab of aged Comte or a wedge of blue, where the sweetness and salt meet in the middle. Or simply on its own, after dinner, as the wine it has earned the right to be.