Bischöfliches Konvikt – Eitelsbacher Marienholz Riesling Kabinett, dry, 1981

Bischöfliches Konvikt – Eitelsbacher Marienholz Riesling Kabinett dry 1981

The Eitelsbacher Marienholz Riesling Kabinett dry 1981 comes from the Episcopal Seminary in Trier, one of the most historic ecclesiastical vineyards on the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer. The Seminary, founded in 1840 as a training centre for prospective priests, cultivated its own vineyards for decades and has been part of the Episcopal Vineyards of Trier since 1966 – the amalgamation of the Episcopal Seminary and the Cathedral.

The Eitelsbacher Marienholz vineyard is situated in the Ruwer Valley and is one of the region’s classic slate-soil sites. The steep slopes with their mineral-rich soils produce delicate, elegant Rieslings characterised by a crisp acidity and cool fruit. The 1981 vintage was vinified as a Kabinett and deliberately kept dry – a style that was even rarer back then than it is today and which lends the wine a particular freshness and longevity.

After more than four decades of bottle ageing, this wine ranks amongst the most interesting historical rarities from the Ruwer Valley. Well-preserved bottles often display the typical development of mature Ruwer Rieslings: smoky, mineral notes, delicate herbal aromas and an acidity that remains present and lively. Such dry Kabinett wines from the early 1980s are now particularly sought after by collectors and connoisseurs of mature German Rieslings.

The Episcopal Seminary and the later Episcopal Vineyards of Trier are regarded as the driving force behind the preservation of traditional steep-slope viticulture along the three rivers. The 1981 Eitelsbacher Marienholz Kabinett dry is a silent testament to this history – a wine that embodies its origin, its era and the unique character of the Ruwer Valley.