1998 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese * - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (3/12/2023)
There is no such thing as the perfect time to drink the last bottle of an older wine. This was darned close. Fully mature, but showing no cracks, this was old school Auslese, from just before climate change started to warp the pradikats. Put it in a year like 2005, and it would probably have been declared as a Spätlese. Tonight it was all dried pineapple, warm peach, and a jolt from a cattle prod. Twenty minutes after my last sip I can still get echoes. Having a few more bottles would be fantastic, as I suspect the wine will hold up well for another twenty years, but it was very nice to have it tonight.