Pondering Glasses: The Hedonism of Grassl vs Zalto

I have recently acquired two Zalto Bordeaux stems to compare with my current favourite red Burgundy glasses (Grassl and Riedel Sommelier).

The reason is that the insightful and thoughtful Olivier Lamy is using these stems at his winery (mainly for tasting whites), and also for tasting wines in general when he’s at tasting wines in general.

I liked what I saw and tasted chez Lamy, so I decided to put this glass to the test: Does it match the Grassl Cru and the Riedel Sommelier, both stems that have been my favourites so far for red Burgundy?

The shoot out

Head to head, let’s take a look at Grassl versus Zalto.

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Grassl Cru

The Zalto dimensions are similar to the Grassl Cru, but with a less tulip-shaped bowl and a larger opening. These are both big stems, although both are are dwarfed by the giant Riedel Sommeliers.

They feel good in the hand with a modest fill. The Grassl feels slightly more fragile, and is so in my experience.

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The wine

Domaine Garcia Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Grandes Vignes 2022 comes from Premeaux, right next to Comte Liger-Belair’s 1er-cru holding. This is turning out to be one of my favourite wines from Garcia. There are some pink roses, and sweet peonies and lilacs that produce a certain grandeur for this level. Vivid and expressive, it shows delightful floral complexity. Better than the 2021? Yes. The points were perhaps too generous last year, but I adore the floral notes here.

(Drink from 2029) – Very Good (90-91p) – Tasted 19/05/2023 – 

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The comparison

They are surprisingly close feeling-wise, with the Grassl offering richer, slightly more flamboyant mid-palate fruit and bouquet. The roses in the Garcia wine have a slightly more ample note than in the Zalto, where a lighter floral note is revealed.

One could say that the Zalto is slightly cooler in style; more of a pink note from the roses. The Grassl is richer, but also slightly less precise with this wine, as the mid-palate fruit and bouquet become slightly sweetish, although without becoming jammy.

Wine in the Grassl needs to be cooler than in the Zaltos. The Zalto is more precise, whereas the Grassl gives a more generous, slightly opulent feel.

Recommendation

The Grassl Cru is the more hedonistic glass for me, and the Zalto Bordeaux is ever so slightly more analytical.

If the wine is served properly chilled, then the Grassl will win. But it rarely is, and in a vintage like 2022, the heat from global warming does make a wine appear sweeter. So this favours the Zalto Bordeaux.

I cannot really declare a winner after this round, but as an all-round glass, the Zalto Bordeaux is an interesting proposition.

The Grassl Cru stem is slightly on the generous side (defining Riedel Vinum Burgundy as generous), while the Zalto Bordeaux is more neutral (like the Zalto Universal), while giving room for more body and expression.

The Zalto Bordeaux might not be cheap, but they do not break the bank. My Grassl just breaks – sadly quite often!

The next test will be Zalto Bordeaux with Riesling!