Gold Rush vs. Blushing Golden smackdown

Gold Rush (L) and Blushing Golden on a day in late fall

Two ribbed, conical, yellow late-season keeper apples with partial red blushes, in between medium and large. Blushing Golden, at right, is larger, yellower, and with a livelier, more-saturated orange-red blush.

Gold Rush is more elongated and conical, with a streakier and more-subdued bronze-red blush over a more-subdued green yellow, flecked with brown.

Many of my Gold Rushes have a thin red longitudinal seam running from pole to pole (as in the photographed example). I am just noticing that several Blushing Goldens have a fainter version of the same thing, a thin slight ridge under my fingertips.

Beauty spot

My photo does not show any of the saturated red "beauty marks" that sometimes decorate Blushing Golden.
Both apples are firm in my hand.

Blushing Golden has a sweet rich aroma, while Gold Rush has none.

Gold Rush sports crisp, even dense, firm yellow flesh, more coarse-grained than fine. It bears flavorful juices that hold good measures of both sweet and tart, along with citrus, pear, a little spice, and a hint of banana.

Blushing Golden is also crisp, yellow, and juicy, but lighter in texture and not as dense. It has lovely well-balanced flavors of similar hue, with a bit of honeyed sweetness.

Gold Rush is crunchier, Blushing juicier and probably more coarse-grained. Blushing is less tart and its flavors include a suggestion of vanilla.

One can take the structural parallels too far, but where Gold Rush has some (well-balanced) tartness, Blushing G presents a sort of lush fruitiness; BG echoes GR's banana whisper with vanilla. (I have found banana in Blushing but not this time.)

I wonder if the Gold Rush, a notoriously good keeper, is even now at its very best. Would another 3 or 4 weeks bring out even more flavors?

As it is, on December 3, Blushing Golden is mellower and fruitier, while Gold Rush is crisper and sharper.

Both are excellent, especially in December! I call this one a dead heat.

Update: Gold Rush still going strong in April. Wow!