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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 152 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by SussexRH on 3/16/2024 & rated 94 points: Bright, fresh on the nose; hint of volatility on first opening; intense, concentrated iodine, spice, cherry drops, redcurrant, violet, cola bottles; superb lift, acidity in highwire act but perfectly balanced with intensity of the palate; reminds me of v good old Rioja; perhaps lacks the spiced complexity of some vintages, but tannins fully resolved to leave sweet fruit core with just enough structure to hold everything together. Really concentrated, focussed intensity; no reason to think it will improve further but it’s flying right now. (514 views) | | | Tasted by adnorthup on 3/9/2024: decanted off sediment an hour and a half before dinner. Such a pure Musar nose, would be impossible to confuse it for anything else. There’s some spice, red berry, wood. Decent acid, it’s so fresh and alive, for those who are fans it’s a good example showing a bit more sweetness and richness than a classic, but great. Load up on late 90’s and hold them a decade more. (738 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 4/1/2023 & rated 93 points: The vintage 1991 started with a cold winter, followed by a quite cool spring with some freezes before flowering, reducing the crop a bit. The summer was quite cool throughout and even surprisingly cold in August, only turning somewhat warmer in September. Harvested between the 16th of September and the 2nd of October. Very slow and steady fermentation with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks. Aged for 12 months in predominantly old Nevers oak barrels, after which the final cuvée was blended. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in 1994. 14% alcohol. Decanted for six hours before tasting the wine.
Moderately translucent and quite evolved brick-orange color with a tertiary maroon hue. The nose feels quite old and tertiary but also harmonious and pretty attractive with layered aromas of mahogany and autumnal leaves, some sweet notes of dried figs and blackcurrant jam, light ethery notes of VA, a little bit of juicy strawberry and red plum, bretty hints of saddle leather and phenolic spice, a touch of meat stew and a faint green-toned whiff of minty lift. The wine feels tertiary, resolved and moderately sweetly-fruited on the palate with a silky texture, a full body and layered flavors of dried dates and wizened red cherries, some raspberry juice tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light notes of pipe tobacco, evolved hints of old leather and beef jerky and a touch of mahogany. I wonder if there is a tiniest bit of residual sugar here - just a few grams more than is normal for Musar - giving the fruit flavors a tiny boost of richness? The wine is quite high in acidity, but the ample tannins come across as fully resolved and very supple, lending very little grip to the mouthfeel. The finish is long, subtly grippy and quite complex with a sweet'n'savory aftertaste of dried figs and wizened cherries, some leathery notes, a little bit of balsamic richness, light earthy tones, a hint of blackcurrant jam and a volatile touch of medicinal ether.
A beautiful, harmonious and textural old Musar. It feels age has made some of the finer nuances disappear and the wine is starting to have a more anonymous old-wine feel to it, but there is nothing obviously oxidative here and the wine still feels like it is yet to go downhill. Most likely the wine has reached its plateau of maturity years ago and it is still sitting there, firmly, without any plans on falling apart. As the wine is pretty tertiary with fully resolved tannins and a very smooth, velvety texture, the wine doesn't really call for any additional aging, but most likely the wine can be kept for years more without problems. However, if you had any bottles remaining in your cellar, I'd start planning on drinking them sooner rather than later. (1605 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 11/30/2022 & rated 93 points: 'Le Lievre a la Royale' Long Lunch (cafe EPURE, Shop 403, inside Epure, Level 4, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong): Decanted for 5 hours than re-bottled and kept in the fridge overnight.Very high shoulders fill. Cork was near-saturated and crumbly cheese in structure but came out in one piece with a Durand. Surprisingly almost no sediment on decanting but a ton stuck to the shoulder of the bottle. Immediate colour on opening is totally transparent, faded mahogany looking like a 1950s Rioja or Barolo. Immediate nose is high notes from a slightly out of tune piano that hasn’t been played for a long time. Very savoury and feral with tons of Unami and old luggage from a damp attic. Immediate palate is barely-awoken, deep-slumbering semi-confit red cherry liqueur, typical Middle East spice market etc. Almost from the first sensation in the mouth you are hit by an awesome wave of deep and endless resonance and reverberance echoing inside your cranium. Wow!
Mellowed beautifully overnight but with all the same elements. Mind-expanding finale. Could have been better with the hare and foie gras than with the Brie & White Truffle it was served with at the end of the meal. Not my best experience of this vintage. 93 this time as was overshadowed in the drinking order by the preceding 2001 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle and the 1994 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque. (2135 views) | | | Tasted by diegopia on 11/25/2022 & rated 90 points: Still incredibly pleasant. Subtle notes of chocolate and plum. Decanted three hours before. Perfect pairing with a Persian chicken dish. (1729 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 6/17/2022: Musarathon (Ariana II): Somewhat cloudy, and at first I thought this was a little diffuse on the palate, but it pulled itself together and became really rather lovely. Of all the wines we drank, this one suffered the most I think from the format - it was hard to pick it out among so many wines, and I think an evening sharing this between two or three people, letting it evolve in the glass, would have been really fulfilling. (2299 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 12/25/2021 & rated 93 points: Christmas Day Family Lunch at Home (Our House, Hong Kong): Xmas lunch - Decanted for 8 hours. Strangely, no notes....but this was beautiful and confirmed my view that 1991 is possibly the finest vintage of Ch. Musar apart from the near-impossible to find 1959. Fortunately, I still have a case of this and will remember to write a detailed note next time! (2369 views) | | | Tasted by bonedocnine on 12/14/2021 & rated 82 points: sadly this bottle was long gone...... just a ghost of what it would have been. (2024 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 2/20/2021 & rated 93 points: Followed the 01 and a similar flavour profile, but this had a little bit more breadth and depth and freshness and zing. I still think this my favourite Musar. (2399 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 7/3/2020 & rated 93 points: Classic mature Musar. Herby and spicy, tobacco, sweet in the middle. Gorgeous. (2853 views) | | | Tasted by Duncan H on 4/4/2020 & rated 80 points: I think this was still just about alive, but not particularly pleasurable. A hint of sweet, resiny fruit, but not enough there for us to want to drink very much of this. (2816 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 2/22/2020: That is super acid. But here it is. (2960 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 7/6/2019: Sweet tobacco fruit, fruitcake richness, spicy - gorgeous (3647 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 3/31/2019 & rated 92 points: Exotic, as ever, perhaps a bit sweeter, smoother and hotter than it has shown in the past. (3528 views) | | | Tasted by vinkarl on 3/15/2019 & rated 94 points: Brick stone coloured when opened, the taste a bit laidback. Two hours later the colour is more red, and the wine is much more lively. Great with summer lamb, potatoes and mushroom stew. Saved half of the bottle for tomorrow.
Day two: Even better today. What a youthful and fruity 28 year old. (3029 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 2/8/2019: VA for sure but delicious all the same. (3056 views) | | | Tasted by chbeaumont on 9/8/2017 & rated 92 points: Two bottles, archetypal variation. One had a crumbly cork. First: darker, plenty of VA, oxo cube & marmite. It deteriorated. The 2nd: elegant, genteel, graceful, fragrant; lovely balance, with a kick-ass finish. At best, will continue to age well. (6477 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 5/29/2017 & rated 93 points: Pale, spicy fragrance, and then layer on layer of exotic fruit, quite sweet in the middle. Really lovely. (6354 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 3/31/2017 & rated 92 points: My Birthday Dinner (Seasons By Olivier E., 3/F, Two Lee Gardens, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong): Decanted for 8 hours before serving with just totally mind-blowingly good two Alexandre Polmard 4kg rare tomahawks of Blanc de Limousin Charolais steaks especially flown in by Chef Olivier.
Befitting my deep love of Ch. Musar....and my agreement with CTers such as Rupert that this is possibly the best-ever vintage (except the impossible to find 1959).....it neatly refused to fit into my normal structure of note-taking:
Damson/lambs'-blood transparent red. Nose is 'wet socks' even after an 8-hour decant but it quickly segues into high-toned red proper Turkish Delight with all the spice and smoke smells you would associate with that even if you have never been to Turkey but had dreamed it on a Christmas Day in England......very high-toned piano notes, light but mega-powerful deep draughts of sonorous after-resonance.....like the "zap" in the ozone/electricity of an incoming English summer thunderstorm.
Hey, it's my birthday! (6575 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 3/4/2017 & rated 93 points: I think this is the best Musar vintage of all. Exotic and tobacco-ey, fruit cake, but it's mellow now, really quite sweet in the middle - gorgeous. (6342 views) | | | Tasted by fournet on 2/22/2017 & rated 93 points: Great and in a great stage (6117 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 10/7/2016 & rated 93 points: Poker night - Reds double blind - 91 Musar, 09 Coche Perrieres, 67 Marthas and etc.: Served blind, knowing who brought the wine, I am thinking the 83 Rayas. A lot of cherry fruit, sweet spices and earth. Medium concentration, dry cherry fruit driven palate impression, subtle and warm palate, fully integrated tannins and medium finish with sweet cherry fruit end. Not as long as the 83 Rayas but seems awfully close. (4599 views) | | | Tasted by MRichman on 9/29/2016: Petaluma Wine Group BYO at Seared: Black fruit, tar, violets, bright cherry. Light weight. More round and full than the 1990 and imo much better. This is excellent Musar, wonderful wine. At a great age but has years to go. (3374 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 9/24/2016 & rated 94 points: Ch. Musar Dinner with Marc Hochar (Crown Wine Cellars, 18 Deep Water Bay Drive, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Very bright-jeweled transparent ruby colour. Nose is beautifully lifted and alluring.....violets, fresh liquorice stick, dried star anise.....gorgeous and quite Barolo-like. Very clean and precise. Palate is lightly candied and quite sweet and perfumed.......evocative of old-fashioned red and white Turkish Delight dusted with icing sugar that came in a sandalwood box from childhood Christmases. Very reverberant and with an almost endless length.....wow! My contribution to the evening......I really think it's up there in the pantheon of the great Musars of all time but is still a teenager. (3548 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 9/22/2016 & rated 92 points: Mid ruby to full garnet. Very sweet-fruited nose. Quite a bit of slightly volatile lift. Sweet and long. Just a sense of alcohol (14%). Lovely and a little, was expected, quirky. **** (2853 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2017, Issue #67, Château Musar The World’s Most Heroic Wine
(Château Musar) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, July 2004
(Chateau Musar) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2001
(Chateau Musar) Subscribe to see review text. | By Ian D'Agata
Decanter
(Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/29/2012)
(Chateau Musar) Bricked medium red violet color with pale meniscus; anise, garrigue, tart berry, dried berry, spice nose; tasty, poised, silky textured, mature, baked raspberry, anise, cherry cola, tart berry palate; long finish 97 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/19/2009)
(Chateau Musar) Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; mature, tart cherry, rhubarb and golden raisins nose; tasty, spicy, dried currant, fig and plum palate; long finish 96+ pts. (my WOTF) 96 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Winedoctor and Decanter and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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.Chateau MusarA guide to the style
In youth, Chateau Musar Reds are dense and richly-textured, with intense ‘baked fruit’ characters: plums, damsons, cranberries, cherries, figs and dates. Bordeaux grape Cabernet Sauvignon lends black fruit flavours; Rhône grapes Cinsault and Carignan contribute fragrance (violets; pepper) and supple spiciness. Either set of qualities might dominate a particular vintage, but the style is always emphatically Lebanese: enticingly aromatic, with persistent fruit flavours. Over decades the wines acquire tawny hues and mellow notes. We still offer wines from the 1950s: mesmerising artefacts of vintage.
Grapes and vines
Seven years in the making, Chateau Musar Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the Bekaa Valley villages of Ammiq, Aana and Kefraya on gravelly soils over limestone. Planted from the 1930s onwards, yields are low from these mature bushvines (average age: 40 years): 35hl per hectare.
Winemaking
The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement-lined vats at temperatures below 30°C. Racked from their yeast ‘lees’ 6 months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels (oak from the forest of Nevers, one-third new each vintage) for one year.
Blending
The varietal components are brought together two years after the harvest; the resulting blend is then placed back in cement-lined tanks before being bottled 12 months later. Each wine is blended to reflect the strengths of the vintage: in hotter years, Cabernet Sauvignon might dominate (the thick-skinned grapes fare better in the heat); cooler conditions can favour the Cinsault grape. After 4 years’ bottle maturation in the deep stone cellars of Chateau Musar, the finished wines are released a full seven years after the harvest.
Decanting and serving
Bottled unfined and unfiltered, Chateau Musar Reds are suitable for vegans (fining agents often contain animal proteins); they’re also richly-textured and likely to ‘throw a crust’. This is a common feature of most fine wines and is especially true of Musar Red vintages over a decade old. Ideally, bottles should be stood up the night before opening to settle any sediment. After careful decanting (and discarding of sediment, usually in the last centimetre of the bottle) the wine should be allowed to breathe for several hours and served at 18°C with roasts, grills (especially lamb), casseroles, game, and mature cheeses.
Storage
To keep the wines showing at their best, bottles must be cellared in darkness, lying on their sides and not subjected to unnecessary movement or fluctuations in temperature.Red Blend. |
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