My new glass...I need feedback

[Chris Freemott]

Viet - I do not, only a few 6 packs.

To the rest of you, started new primary job in SFO this week - responses delayed, I see your emails but am in 'new guy' phase. So, give me until Friday to get back to you please. To the rest who are in round 1 of distribution, some may see glasses in their mail as soon as tomorrow.

[Joe Raymond]

Phew!! Was worried my email didn't go through Thanks Chris for the response

[Don Maloney]

Email sent. Better late than never!

[David K o l i n]

SFO? Thanks for the heads up, Chris. Sorry that I overlooked this thread. Best of luck (you'll need it - Corey is offering to show these around!

[m. ristev]

just received a liberte glass in the mail and thought i would post a quick comparison to gabriel gold (left)

first impression is that it feels more weightier than the gabriel and the stem itself is not quite as thin. the bowl shape is more similar to a zalto, but it feels more balanced in hand. quality seems great. can't wait to actually try it out. thanks chris!

[ericskitei]

Just got my stem in the mail. Looks fantastic. I'll test it out this evening and report back!

[Chris Freemott]

Going to be an exciting weekend. Got home at 2 AM, to those who have emailed me, I'll be replying this weekend as I catch up.

[Don Maloney]

Going to be an exciting weekend. Got home at 2 AM, to those who have emailed me, I'll be replying this weekend as I catch up.

[Mark Y]

Chris. Where are u shipping from?

Hope the goodies arrive today!

[Chris Freemott]

Chicago, all went out first class USPS unless you were SUPER important and got 2+ stems. ...those went priority.

[Albert R]

I received the Liberte today. I'll post some comments after I put it through a few workouts this weekend. Thank you Chris!

[Mich@el Ch@ng]

Got one of the Cru in the mail today; guess i didn't count as SUPER important

Initial impressions:

This is a bit heavier and more substantial than the Zalto burg in terms of hand feel, but has a smaller bowl, actually pretty much perfect in size for me in terms of how I'd like a burg stem to be sized. While it feels much more sturdy than a GG or Zalto, it is much lighter than the Riedel Vinum XL burg stem I compared it to.

Poured a nice glass of 07 Angerville Volnay 1er, which was drinking perfectly. The aromatics were beautiful, and felt more concentrated than the Zalto stem. I really enjoy the hand feel of the glass. I will keep trying it but really like it so far.

[Chris Freemott]

Michael, our Cru is much lighter than the Zalto Burgundy. I think what you may be feeling is the stem thickness (+1 MM) and the larger base...but ours is lighter. Thrilled at your first impression BTW.

[Peter Petersen]

Posted on the 1855 in wine talk and will continue with other selections later.

[Mike Evans]

I’m not complaining, but since it normally doesn’t take a week for packages to make it from Chicago to Atlanta I wanted to let you know that I didn’t receive anything last week so you can check on the status.

[AlexS]

Yeah, mine hasn't made it either and I'm closer than Mike -- not complaining though!

[Chris Freemott]

Alex. Yours are pending. You made the special list.

[Mark Y]

Chris, got the Cru! Thank you.
Did the mineralite come in a separate box?

[Chris Freemott]

Punk...LOL

[ykwon]

These glasses look awesome. Congrats Chris!

[Mark Stevens]

Thanks, Chris, for including me in the guinea pig testing group! Tonight I compared your Grassl “cru” glass to my go-to Riedel XL Pinot glass for domestic PNs, the wine being 2010 Arterberry Maresh “Maresh VY” Pinot Noir. Spectacular wine from either glass (wish that I had more!) but definitely more delicious from your Glassl. More focussed nose, broader on the palate in the “Cru”. And no comparison in the “hand” of the glasses- your Grassl was almost top-heavy when filled, yet so balanced- the Riedel Xl was clumsy and heavy by comparison, both empty and filled. The larger diameter base of your Grassl was a great stabilizer to the top-heaviness when filled, yet the overall feel of your Grassl was light on its “feet” compared to the Riedel XL. I will be a buyer of your Berserker offered when/if it materializes, and I can’t wait for my impendingtest run of your 1855! Thanks again for graciously including me in your control sample!

[Travis Fantz]

If I didn’t get a gass does that mean I’m second tier ?

[Chris Freemott]

Travis, likely. I'm working on a solution to this. I have 120 stems out - which is GREAT...but at some point it's prohibitive.

So, i'll ask all of you this. If I went and created a demo case and put 1 of each in them and that case could be reused over and over - would you let me send it to you, use the glasses for a few days and then 'pay it forward' if I then sent you a PDF of the next destination? I contemplated this with the Zalto i sell but since supply was never guaranteed I didn't do it. But, this glass, Zalto's, Gabriel's, Sophienwald etc are so hard to find in a retail setting that mail is really the only way to hold the glass.

I don't want to send the box out and then back to me and then out again, so there is an element here of privacy. Travis gets it on Monday, ships it to Mark on Friday etc....I guess you have to opt in and know that going in. But, I think I'd be happy to have this case of glasses traveling the US..In fact, maybe we make it a WB memento..Sign the darn thing like it’s a wall at your favorite college bar...

I've also had a few folks who got the glass and won't be buying any (which is to be expected, I didn't create cold fusion, it's a wine glass) - and because they aren't buying more, a solo glass in their home is kind of odd. I can ask those people to send on the glass to someone as well for now.

Tell me your thoughts about a sample kit and I'll look into it.

[mattcitrang]

Thanks Chris for the opportunity to try one of your new Glassl stems.

The one I received is the CRU. Same elegant feel as the GG only sturdier. The bowl is much wider at the bottom (1/2”+) and slightly narrower at the rim. Aromas are slightly more concentrated than with the GG. The slightly thicker stem and wider base are a plus for me. Would definitely consider purchasing when offered.

[mseeber]

Travis, likely. I'm working on a solution to this. I have 120 stems out - which is GREAT...but at some point it's prohibitive.

So, i'll ask all of you this. If I went and created a demo case and put 1 of each in them and that case could be reused over and over - would you let me send it to you, use the glasses for a few days and then 'pay it forward' if I then sent you a PDF of the next destination? I contemplated this with the Zalto i sell but since supply was never guaranteed I didn't do it. But, this glass, Zalto's, Gabriel's, Sophienwald etc are so hard to find in a retail setting that mail is really the only way to hold the glass.

I don't want to send the box out and then back to me and then out again, so there is an element here of privacy. Travis gets it on Monday, ships it to Mark on Friday etc....I guess you have to opt in and know that going in. But, I think I'd be happy to have this case of glasses traveling the US..In fact, maybe we make it a WB memento..Sign the darn thing like it’s a wall at your favorite college bar...

I've also had a few folks who got the glass and won't be buying any (which is to be expected, I didn't create cold fusion, it's a wine glass) - and because they aren't buying more, a solo glass in their home is kind of odd. I can ask those people to send on the glass to someone as well for now.

Tell me your thoughts about a sample kit and I'll look into it.

At this point it is obvious you’ve gone above and beyond your original intent to get a sampling of your glasses into the hands of the appropriate influencers on this board. The sample kit is a good compromise but unlikely to survive beyond the first couple shipments simply due to human involvement.

I’ve been reading the various reviews and I am looking forward to the rest before BersekerDay, hoping to see more from the perspective of moving up from value-priced entry-level stems to something like you are offering here (given the comparison to GG which is beyond my comfort level given the number of glasses I tend to break in a normal year) vs coming down from the upper echelon of wine glasses to a more value-driven solution.

You might get better mileage from sending a sample box to an offline where you could immediately garner exposure to a larger group and eliminate the shipping forward concern, but I doubt there will be many offlines between now and 1/27. (Maybe an option for BDXI).

[Chris Freemott]

Mark, thanks...solid viewpoint.

[GregP]

Chris, my tasting group in SF will be having 2 offlines, one on January 26, day prior to BD10, all Pinot (we'll be going through our v18 barrels that day), and then a Petite Sirah tasting in East Bay a few days after. Right prior to Falltacular. 2-4 winemakers each tasting plus some cellar rats, both nights, almost all are members of this board.

In regard to your suggestion above, we can give your Grassl stems a side-by-side on the 26th, with Pinot, then with Pets a few days later. At that point I can take them to Falltacular and pass them to anyone you designate, or leave them with Frank and let him pass them around OC and LA. If this works for you. Or leave them in SF/Bay Area, again per your choice of who to hand them to. Let me know.

[Chris Freemott]

FYI for those inquiring on samples and the like, including those of you with tasting groups. I have a call tomorrow with a packaging firm. I've had significant enough PM inquiries that I'm going to proceed with sample kits in reusable shipping kits. I'll be creating a 2 pack, 4 pack, and 10 pack kit. This will allow me to build a list of individuals who wish to use the glasses for a short period of time and then return them to me or forward them onto the next person in line. All kits will be universal in that any combination of glasses can be sent and will protect the glasses from a fall of up to 8 feet per my discussions today. Should help me with breakage. I've yet to determine a cost for this service, but, $10.00 or less is my plan. I don't seek to make this a revenue event for me, selling you glasses does that. I seek to place these in the hands of people who cannot otherwise hold them and drink from them. And, this may be a great way to help tasting groups get 10 glasses for an event without the capital expenditure for quality stems.

There will be more on this soon and I think this solves for a number of issues for all of us. Buying a glass not universally available in retail stores is a challenge and open stock returns are an equal challenge for me. I've tasked my web designer, who is also in the midst of moving me to a more robust platform than Wix, to develop a section dedicated to this concept. I won't go live with his until after WB days but, I'm committed to this concept and I hope more of you can use the glasses in the very near future.

[alan weinberg]

got my two. Washed them. Haven’t tried any wine yet. Nice looking and a really good connection between stem and bowl, way better than other glasses. Will hopefully open a bottle tomorrow.

[alan weinberg]

drinking 2014 Chablisienne Mont de Milieu Chablis out of Gabriel Gold, Grassl Mineralité, and Grassl Cru. The opening of Mineralité won’t accommodate my proboscis and makes it hard to drink out of. Nose not as intense. Cru is a super glass, wide bottom so the aromas really fire out of the increased surface area, feels more substantial a glass though light and well-balanced. GGG shows the wine to advantage also, similar size opening, a size I like in those latter two glasses. I like Cru a lot and will try reds out of it soon. Mineralité may be a good champagne glass, will try it. Tonight, though, Cru wins.

[Joe Raymond]

Hey Chris any update on the email I sent from the 11th? Not sure if you filled your allocation or not just checking. Figured you could update here to make it easier for the masses. They look great in some of the pics posters are showing!! Thank you

[YacobovE]

Starting to think I didn't make the cut for the first wave of samples

Chris, are you keeping a list of folks for a second wave? I never received any sort of email.