Some of the world's greatest traditional reds owe a big part of their magnificence to long aging in wood. But how many whites can you say that about? Perhaps the greatest example is Nikolaiho's 1997 Vinothek that spent 17 years in the equivalent of a Langhe botte and has since spent just as long in bottle. The result is one of the greatest whites of our experience.

We've drunk a dozen or so bottles over the past 5 years with consistently magical results, but we've kept our Durand well away from the two painfully rare 3-liter we own, allowing them more time to reach their full potential.

Stephan Reinhardt in the Wine Advocate: “97 rating ... offers a fascinatingly clear, bright, deep and multi-layered nose with iodine and ripe as well as intense white-fleshed fruit aromas. Full-bodied, full of finesse and elegant, this dry, transparent and mineral Riesling develops a great intensity, complexity and power on the palate ... the most exciting characteristic trait is the intense and very mineral, almost endless finish … a great, unique and stimulating wine”