1997 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (9/6/2016)
My last bottle from 6 purchased on release in 1998, and it was a thrilling and satisfying way to see this wine go. Served as part of a blind tasting for my wine group, this was not the most flamboyant, not the sweetest, and not the biggest wine in the tasting. Instead it was the most perfectly mature, the most complex and the most complete wine in the tasting. From the smoke, steel, and bruised apple fruit, to the mineral salt finish there were no gaps, just a flowing, rippling, and also electrifying wine. From when it was released this wine showed a surprising acidity for the generally softer 1997 vintage, and so it was this time. Each sip was vibrant and fascinating, from when I first opened the wine to 4 hours later when I finished off the last few sips. Nothing faded, it just gained over time. This is beautiful now and has years to go if you like mature kabinett.