A few notes from the past couple of weeks or so.
2010 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett
Nose is very slaty, with d’Anjou pear aromas. Medium-bodied, off-dry, just barely creamy; well balanced, with good underlying acidity; poised and precise. Quite slaty, lightly floral, with Granny Smith, tangerine, and lime flavors. Very Mosel-like for the Nahe. I really liked the crisp, edgy, citrus/mineral/lightly herbal finish. Excellent.
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett
Floral/citrus/mineral nose. Medium-bodied, off-dry, nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral; full of orange and orange blossom notes, with a hint of Sprite. Nice minerality on the finish. Very good/excellent.
2005 Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Alte Reben
More amber in color than I would have expected at this stage, so I suspect that this was not stored perfectly. Smoky/floral/grainy/peppery nose. A very powerful, sleek, mineral, honeyed Riesling - dry, but not completely bone dry, with intriguing notes of orange marmalade, baking spices and mint. Shows some heat on the palate (13.5% alcohol), and does not have the balance and finesse that I normally get from Leitz. I am guessing that this is not a representative bottle. Given the producer/vintage/site, I would have expected this to be much better than it was.
2006 Hartford Court (Hartford Family Winery) Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard Russian River Valley
Cherry/plum/vanilla nose. Full-bodied, relatively open, ripe, well balanced, with smooth tannins. Shows blackberry, plum, cherry, and vanilla flavors, plus some earthy/slightly floral notes. Very good+.
2005 Sonoma Coast Vineyards Pinot Noir Freestone Hills Sonoma Coast
Floral/dark fruit nose. Full-bodied, smooth, well balanced, with moderate acidity and integrated tannins. Lightly curranty, with plum and blackberry flavors, and some herbal/lightly earthy notes. Very good.