u/reesemulligan

I tried this a year ago as a novice. My notes were: apple, lemon, grass, tart, I like it.

I've had a lot of bottles of wine, studying since then. So I opened this one up, to test my learning.

An amazing almost-gold, with medium intensity. I initially smelled honey and gasoline, which surprised me until I thought about Pfalz and Riesling and aging. Lemon, green apple, grass/dandelion, a smidge of orange and pear and almonds, and river rocks (almost all wine has "River rocks" for me). I was also thinking I was crazy with vanilla and cinnamon, so I Googled after and it seems that there is a French oak influence (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Very very good balance, length, and complexity, and good intensity.

I'm going to have to buy some more! I think the 7 years on the bottle is a good thing. But again, aging isn't something I know a lot about.

I wasn't going to have wine this evening. Really. I had some on Saturday!

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But then I saw a Merlot Thursday post, and I thought, "I haven't had a Merlot in months (not since December, in fact, after checking Cellartracker)." And then I remembered, after posting about my new Gabriel Glas, one of you had suggested I do a comparison to my Walmart glas(s) and post here. The final thought, the one that convinced me, was remembering when I bought my first bottle of this wine last June (same vintage). At that time, being exactly 6 months into my new hobby, studying and drinking wine, it was the most expensive bottle I had ever bought. At that time, the tastiest bottle I had ever bought. The bottle that made me say, "Oh. Now I understand."

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Of course since then, I've come to understand that I understand almost nothing. I'm just enjoying this rabbit hole of a retirement hobby.

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Anyway...

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The wine in the Gabriel Glas was a bit more pronounced on the nose, a medium +. It also appeared just a bit more sparkly garnet. Both glasses gave aromas of raspberry, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, plum, butter, and grass. The Walmart glass gave less cinnamon and more green-ness; the Gabriel gave me much stronger floral notes: violets, roses, and even something sweeter (honey is my best descriptor--it is obviously not honey?, but sweet-ish like honey).

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The Gabriel also just *feels* better in my hand.

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As I'm sipping my second pour in my Gabriel Glas (it's been about 45 minutes now), the flavors are really popping. In addition to the fruits opening (especially some tart cherry), the green-ness is lessening, and I'm getting a little smoke. It's a very warm and soft, silky wine.

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Medium body, acidity, tannins, ABV-- just a really nice second label from Chateau La Conseillante. (A year ago, when I first tried this, I didn't even know what "second label" meant. One of you taught me that, in that earlier post).

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I suspect it will be better in 5 years, but I don't really know much about that.

(Meant to take a picture with wine still in the bottle but my friends refilled their glasses too quickly.)

A refreshing and affordable ($25 USD) Pinot Noir Rose, enjoyed after an hour kayaking.

Pinkish-orange with no real nose to speak of--a hint of what I call river rocks (minerality?) and a touch of cream and citrus. So the burst of crisp lemon and sneakingly ripe raspberry is so delightful! This is by no means a complex wine, but the clean and simply-present flavors are nicely balanced.

I tried and enjoyed the 2022 last year, but couldn't get more until this year. Now I have 5 left until next summer.

I'm drinking less wine but, in general, more expensive wine.

I'm debating what bottle will be the best "new glass" tester.