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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2017 and 2026 (based on 27 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 12 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Kirk Grant on 6/28/2019: This wasn't all that interesting initially. After close to an hour in the decanter there's this interesting note of dehydrated apple slices, grape 'Big League Chew', and camomile tea notes on the nose. The palate leads with cantaloupe, tangerine, and golden yellow apple. This is a wine of contemplation...it's not delicious, it's a wine that demands attention instead of blindly gulping and lifting the glass. Such an awesome wine...and so glad to have more for the future. Outstanding!! (1472 views) | | | Tasted by andrewstevenson.com on 12/15/2017 & rated 92 points: From a coravinned bottle in a restaurant, so not clear how long it might have been 'open.'
A mid salmon pink colour.
Very attractive nose. Nicely perfumed. Actual perfume perfume. Rose, musk, lavender, peach, sweet raspberry/strawberry cross, and Pond's face cream. More your granny's perfume than Chanel.
As intriguing on the palate as you'd expect from Musar. Bone dry initially, then there's creamier, richer soft red fruit with a bit of nectarine lift. Very wide and full in the mouth with creamy, rose-y red fruits. Almost a sour cherry savoury feel, with an umami richness on the finish. Remarkable length for a rosé. (1828 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 9/24/2016 & rated 82 points: Ch. Musar Dinner with Marc Hochar (Crown Wine Cellars, 18 Deep Water Bay Drive, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Very light rose-water colour. Nose is quite lifted but indistinct in terms of specific aromas. Palate is light peach but with an over-balance of alcohol. OK for sipping but not one for me. (2699 views) | | | Tasted by Kirk Grant on 6/26/2016: Color: Pale salmon
Smell: Melon, pear, camomile tea, and a faint hint of strawberry.
Taste: Melon, hints of red fruits, and something I still can't quite put to words.
Overall: This is a wine that deserves some thought...but we were plowing through a vertical going back to '95 so this was probably rushed...This continues to be very reminiscent of Musar Blanc for me. Given how the 2001 & 1995 showed...I think there's no need to rush them. (2472 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 1/28/2016 & rated 92 points: Medium deep, reddish yellow peach color. Interesting, complex and curious nose with aroms of beeswax, cream, fresh tart peach, some banana pudding, a little herbal greenness and a touch of dusty earth. Dry, crisp and very intense medium-bodied palate with racy acidity. Pwoerful flavors of stony minerality, unripe gooseberry, unripe strawberry, some star fruit, a little green apple and a hint of tangy salinity. Good structure, further emphasized by the slightest hint of tannins. Long, bitter and savory finish with crisp acidity and an intense aftertaste of wet stone minerality, cranberry, red currant, some gooseberry and a hint of salinity.
A surprisingly intense, crisp and mineral rosé wine with remarkable structure and very austere character. Impressive stuff, but feels too painfully young right now. Needs several years to resolve. Recommended, but only after several years in the cellar. Expensive for a rosé at ~30€, but well worth it. (2452 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 1/26/2016 & rated 89 points: Still very young, sweet pudding and banana, hints of pepper, does not quite yet reveal its potential, needs more years in the cellar. (424 views) | | | Tasted by Kirk Grant on 11/18/2015: Color: Pale salmon
Smell: Melon, pear, lanolin, with a hint of red fruits
Taste: melon, hints of red fruits, and something I can't quite put to words.
Overall: This is a wine that deserves some thought...it's not meant to be rushed. In the 2 hours it was opened, it constantly changed and was ever evolving...I would also love to call this elegant. It's absolutely elegant. Light-medium body, med+ acidity, with a faint but obvious fruit presence on both the palate & nose. This is very reminiscent of Musar Blanc as missatiejacket noted below. I'm really happy with this wine...I can't wait to taste them as they age to see how they change. Outstanding. If you love Musar...this is a MUST try. (1660 views) | | | Tasted by PT insurgent on 5/18/2015: creamy, strawberry, red fruits. ok, simple. past it's prime?
LWF, London (1282 views) | | | Tasted by missatiejacket on 3/14/2015: This is my first Chateau Musar Rosé. Unsurprisingly, it smells a lot like Musar Blanc plus some tart red fruit. To elaborate, I get a combination of dried, fresh, and slightly bruised apple and pear fruit, a strong waxy, lanolin aroma, green tea, fresh and dried herbs, a medicinal eucalyptus note, a subtle nutty, oxidative character, and that tart red fruit. The nose is very complex, rustic, and a bit funky with the oxidative feel. The palate is fairly light, with moderate, well-integrated, alcohol, light enough for the wine to feel quite refreshing despite only medium acidity. The nutty, waxy character takes on a bit of dusty earth here, reminiscent of some Savennieres in a way. That tart red fruit is quite fresh, really lifting the otherwise oxidative orchard fruits. This is a thinker, as expected, but there's also a surprisingly refreshing delicious factor (not a helpful descriptor, I know) reminiscent of more simple, quaffable French rosés. This is in no way simple, though, with impressive complexity, deft balance thanks to that moderate, basically unnoticeable alcohol, and just enough acidity. As expected from Musar, this is a thought-provoking wine, which I have VERY rarely said about any pink wine that isn't also a sparkling wine. I am told this can age, but I think I'll prefer to drink mine while that red fruited rosé character is still nice and fresh. Outstanding. (1388 views) | | | Tasted by anonymoose12345 on 11/7/2014 & rated 90 points: Beverage pairing at Minibar in DC. (1091 views) |
| Chateau Musar Producer website
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
Housed in an 18th century castle in Ghazir, about 25 km north of Beirut, Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar, inspired by Lebanon’s 6,000-year winemaking tradition and his friendship with Ronald Barton of Chateau Leoville-Barton in Saint Julien. The estate’s name in Arabic is ‘M’zar,’ meaning “place of extraordinary beauty/shrine to be visited,” an ideal name for this fascinating estate.
The vines for the estate’s unique wines are located in the famed Bekaa Valley, an area celebrated for its viticulture since Biblical times. At the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanon’s favorable geographical and climatic conditions have always held abundant promise for the cultivation of grapes. The Bekaa Valley is positioned particularly well, nestled between the ‘Lebanon’ and ‘Anti-Lebanon’ mountain ranges at 34° N of the equator.
The vineyards of Musar are planted at altitudes ranging from 1,000 – 1,500 meters (3,280 – 4,921 ft) above sea level. The vines benefit from cool nights and seasonal temperatures (snow in winter and hot summers), resulting in long ripening periods. The vineyard soils are predominantly calcareous/limestone with gravel and stone, resulting in wines of distinctive character and blends of appealing complexity.
The vineyards’ remote location coupled with the Hochar family’s respect for the environment has resulted in ‘organic’ vineyards by default since the 1950s, even long before the term was coined. The estate obtained organic certification for its vineyards in 2005, the first producer in Lebanon to do so. All the grapes are hand-harvested by local Bedouins in the cool of the morning in order to preserve freshness, the harvest usually taking place between August and October.
The Chateau Musar winery is located in Ghazir about two and a half hour’s drive from the Bekaa Valley. The cellars are dug into the mountainside providing perfect condition for long term wine storage. The wines of Chateau Musar are produced with a ‘non-interventionist’ wine making philosophy; fermentation starts naturally with ambient yeasts, the bare minimum of sulfur is used and the Chateau Musar wines are neither fined nor filtered. Individual varieties from different vineyards are kept separately up to two years, and constantly tasted to understand their unique personalities and characteristics. The final blending process is an intrinsic part of the winemaking art at Chateau Musar — winemaking by instinct.
The estate produces three lines: the flagship range includes Chateau Musar Red, Chateau Musar White and Chateau Musar Rosé; Hochar Père et Fils Red – a more accessible red, produced from a single vineyard site in the Bekaa Valley and ready to drink upon release at year five (as opposed to Chateau Musar Red which the family recommends to drink starting from year 15); and Musar Jeune — unoaked vibrant wines intended for immediate drinking. The Chateau Musar Red and White wines undergo lengthy bottle ageing in the estate cellars and are released only after seven years.
Chateau Musar first achieved international recognition during the Bristol Wine Fair in England in 1979, where the wine press and prominent critics including Michael Broadbent declared it “the discovery of the fair”. In 1984, Decanter wine magazine named Serge Hochar their first ever “Man of the Year” for his extraordinary achievements, determination and dedication to producing outstanding wines during the difficult years of the Lebanese civil war.
Today, Chateau Musar wines are known worldwide for their finesse, elegance and extraordinary ability to age, and the estate still offers mesmerizing wines dating back to the 1950’s.
Speaking about the wines of Chateau Musar, Serge Hochar said “the harmony of nature is better than anything we could ever create. I believe it should be a priority to seek to drink what is ‘true’ rather than what is ‘good’ “. When speaking about quality in wine he added “I once produced a wine that was technically perfect but it lacked the charms of imperfection”.
With its captivating history and the incredible passion and dedication of the Hochar family, Chateau Musar has achieved a sort of cult-like status and is one of the most written-about and discussed wines in the world today.Rosé Blend"Rosé blend" can mean a blend of just about any varietals since the designation comes from the resulting color of the wine.Rosé Rosé - Wikipedia |
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