External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2020
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| | Vintage | 2002 |  Label 1 of 576 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Chateau Musar (web) | | Variety | Red Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | Lebanon | | Region | Bekaa Valley | | SubRegion | n/a | | Appellation | n/a | | UPC Code(s) | 1142431903716, 2057369110206, 5017469110206, 5017469110305, 5017469110909, 5017469111104, 5017469119902, 5017469120205, 5017469130204, 5017469410009, 611482022567, 611482031415, 611482060118 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 430 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by oakville72 on 2/19/2024 & rated 92 points: Still surprisingly fresh. Not a big wine but well made. Of the Musars I've tasted recently — 1998, 2002 and 2005 — this is the best.
(10/31/2022) Fully mature but not over the hill. Terrific stuff! (3465 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 12/25/2023 & rated 95 points: A deeper colour than the older vintages (tasted as part of a flight of 1998 - 2003 vintages) and immediately richer on the palate. Beautifully balanced from nose to the long tail with so much to enjoy on the journey. This was a half bottle, too, so it is reassuring that the halves are maturing so well (we will finish the halves before the bottles).
I tasted this vintage with Serge Hochar many years ago and it is a moving reminder of a great winemaker and a lovely man. Superb wine with plenty of life ahead. (1870 views) | | | Tasted by sjecrawford on 12/18/2023 & rated 88 points: Half. Cork disintegrated, not sure even an ah-so opener would have done the job! Decanted for 8 hours, nose slightly medicinal, smokey and not particularly exuberant. On the palate cigar smoke and leather with a touch of VA made for an interesting accompaniment to roast duck but this one wasn’t singing as the fruit seems to have vanished resulting in a somewhat one dimensional presentation. (2036 views) | | | Tasted by Sperls on 12/15/2023 & rated 93 points: Alas, last bottle. Still in great shape with probably years ahead of it with dark fruit, the exotic mix of spices that make it impossible to place in terms of region (ie, the “Musar-ness”), some tar, leather, medium finish. Great wine. Wish I had more. (1856 views) | | | Tasted by Bullsgate on 12/2/2023 & rated 93 points: A very sound bottle, you never know with Musar. Cork in excellent condition. This was exactly what I want a good, aged Musar to be like. Aromas of dried fruit, tobacco and some wood. Still some fruit left on the palata, tannins long gone to the ravages of time and good length. A superb match to rack of lamb last night! (2173 views) | | | Tasted by dera on 10/31/2023 & rated 93 points: Developed garnet tinting somewhat towards some brown. Nose is mature but very fresh with prunes, red slightly tart currants, nailpolish VA, animal manure, barnyard. Palate is lifted with high acidity, touch of sweetness and mature flavors of soy and forest floor, elevated by some lovely bright red currants. Finish is a little round with completely resolved tannins.
This is drinking at it's peak right now, but shows no signs of downturn so them who are planning to lie forever, take your time. My note sounds much more negative than what this wine really is. It's an excellent wine, one I am happy I have a few more in my cellar. (2200 views) | | | Tasted by Andehan77 on 10/15/2023 & rated 96 points: Wonderfull wine. Still many years to go. Nose of leather, spices and vanilla. Not required to drink, enough just to smell at it. (1850 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 10/15/2023 & rated 92 points: A year since our last tasting. Again, this was a half bottle. Good, deep colour. After 4/5 h, the nose had opened releasing dark plum notes with hints of dark chocolate. The palate was complex but smooth and well balanced with lovely dark cherry fruit and soft, integrated, leathery tannins.
Next day (20h after opening) it was really at its best - deep cherry fruit, soft tannin and superb balance. Well worth opening the day before and still maturing, even after 21 years and in half bottle. Remarkable wine. (1705 views) | | | Tasted by ekorn on 9/27/2023: Brought this bottle to a Musar dinner which included the '95, '97 - '05, and '16 rouge.
This bottle was double decanted for sediment around an hour and a half before it was served. A typical Musar experience with more prominent tannin than I was expecting. This bottle did not differentiate itself much from its peers. (1722 views) | | | Tasted by Thek on 8/19/2023 & rated 94 points: 30 min decant. Gives a first impression of fresh ripe black figs with notes of blueberry, and toffee. It seems to waver between toffee and golden raisin. Everything is in place: rounded mature fruit, balanced tension, and just enough soft tannins to coat the palate. (1990 views) | | | Tasted by JonathanFlavell on 8/12/2023: Half. Terrible cork. Mid garnet. Full tertiary with chocolate, leather, smoke, toast, cedar, tobacco, earth, nuts, cooked fruit, redcurrant & blackberry. Good body, decent acidity and ripe tannin. To taste more stewed fruit, redcurrant, strawberry, blackberry, cedar, toast, leather, earth, nuts & tobacco. Pretty long. Fully developed. Complex and good flavours but missing some previous freshness. Very good. Drink now. (1782 views) | | | Tasted by Iacomus on 8/4/2023 & rated 98 points: Decanted for 1 hour. Garnet colour. Pronounced nose full of dried raisins, blackcurrant, plum, violet and orange peel. Whiffs of fruitcake. Some earthy notes too. Still plenty of (stewed) fruit on the palate, carried by age smoothed tannins. Medium acidity, perfectly balanced & with a long finish. Drinking beautifully now. (1766 views) | | | Tasted by NickBurwood on 6/9/2023 & rated 91 points: BYOB lunch in The Spectator boardroom hosted by Jonathan Ray (The Spectator's drinks editor). Limited notes in the main!
See my earlier notes for this wine.
Now till 2027 (1974 views) | | | Tasted by Ernestas on 6/9/2023 & rated 92 points: Lebanese night, Chateau Musar tasting (Vilnius, Lithuania): Chateau Musar tasting, flight 4/4, wine 12/12. Made from a blend of equal proportions of CS, Cinsault and Carignan, aged for 12 months in FR oak barrels. Tasted along glorious 1966 therefore felt a bit overshadowed and so much richer and bolder, a big, broad vintage. Deep ruby, garnet tawny rim. Intense aroma of ripe succulent plums and blackcurrants, figs, strawberry jam, tobacco, leather, vanilla. Full body, generous and rich with intense black fruit and spice flavours, medium+ acidity, medium tannins. (2479 views) | | | Tasted by PSPatrick on 5/30/2023 & rated 93 points: Decanted for three hours in the morning, poured over dinner. Medium garnet colour. Sweet red and dark berry fruit, ripe strawberry, leather, tobacco, cocoa, gamy notes, and complex spice notes, with great acidity, well-integrated tannin that still has some grip, and great persistence. Some brett and some VA add additional complexity. Creamy texture. And great intensity! Very well-structured. Intense, balanced, and harmonious. Provides great drinking pleasure now, and will keep for many years. A great wine! (2201 views) | | | Tasted by ddingley on 5/23/2023 flawed bottle: Seemed a bit off, some but not all of the Brett blew off but this didn’t have the stuff I’ve seen from older Musars. (2224 views) | | | Tasted by FiggySmalls on 4/24/2023: 3rd of 4. Drinks great on pnp and in line with my previous note*
Dry crumbly cork with barely any soaking even though it has been on its side for years.
Very clean and youthful. Zero, maybe 1% oxidation showing. Another crazy fresh, crazy youthful bottle that (on pnp) drinks lovely as ever
*see previous note for tasting descriptors versus this update (2443 views) | | | Tasted by SeattlePaul on 4/21/2023 & rated 92 points: Delicious. Younger and fresher than I normally drink, but all the right components are there for an excellent Musar. (2113 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 4/1/2023 & rated 92 points: n 2002 long, cold and rainy weather pushed the ends of the winter and the spring back, all the way into late June, followed by a mild July and then, suddenly, a hot August. The ripening process was delayed accordingly, the harvest starting two weeks behind the normal schedule, starting on 15th of September. The maturity of grapes was extremely varied from vineyard to vineyard, so instead of picking the varieties one by one, the harvest had to be done vineyard by vineyard, according to the maturity. This year the fermentation and maceration times were much longer than normal. After 6 months of aging in concrete vats, the wines were racked into oak barrels for one year. After the oak aging the wines were blended together and matured for a further year in oak casks before bottling. 14% alcohol. Decanted for four hours before tasting the wine.
Quite deep, dark and moderately translucent maroon red color. The nose feels expressive, somewhat evolved and slightly volatile with sweet'n'savory aromas of wizened red fruits and ripe red currants, some developed meat jerky tones, a little bit of minty lift, light smoky nuances, a hint of tobacco, a sweet, lifted touch of ethery VA and a whiff of fresh black cherries. The wine feels silky, harmonious and moderately evolved on the palate with a medium body and slightly tertiary flavors of dried dates and dark raisiny fruit, some savory notes of meaty umami, a little bit of wizened red plums, light ferrous notes of blood, a bretty hint of leathery funk and a touch of balsamic VA. The overall feel is balanced with the rather high acidity, although the ripe medium tannins contribute more to the texture rather than to the structure. The finish is evolved, savory and somewhat grippy with a long, complex and juicy aftertaste of wizened red plums and dried dates, some tertiary beef jerky tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light balsamic notes of VA, a hint of ripe figs and a touch of leathery funk.
As before, this 2002 vintage seems a lighter and more delicate vintage of Musar where the most important element seems to be its rather high acidity. Without that vital freshness, this would be a rather underwhelming effort, but with its sufficiently high acidity the wine comes across as balanced and harmonious, not dull or too soft. At a wee bit over 20 years of age, the wine shows some tertiary development, but is yet to go downhill. As some subtly oxidative elements have appeared among the fruit flavors, I'd say the wine is starting to be at its peak and won't improve much further from here - but at least it will continue to keep for a good handful of years more. And I'd say this bottle performed slightly better than the one we had a few years ago, when the wine seemed to be slightly softer and more underwhelming than before. This bottle was better in line with the typical style of the vintage. (2136 views) | | | Tasted by NickBurwood on 3/31/2023 & rated 91 points: Holding up better than earlier estimate. Should be good up to 25yrs from vintage.
Now till 2027 (1886 views) | | | Tasted by Smahlatz on 1/22/2023 & rated 91 points: Good, but I prefer 01 and 05 (2875 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 12/7/2022: First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield): "Served Blind. shown in a bracket with the other Musar
Oxidised, plummy, black fruits, sweet spice, a little volatile. Ripe fruit, medium plus intensity acidity is a little sour, textured chalky tannins are tight, leather, funky.
Umm…okay…it's a bit dirty…it's got some age…Southern Italian international varietal blend? 15 years old?
" (2750 views) | | | Tasted by BCJ99 on 11/16/2022 & rated 93 points: Absolutely beautiful at this point, served at cellar temperature and let warm up in the decanter and glass. Tertiary notes are most dominant, but with still a very solid primary base and good stucture. Very elegant and feminine. Don't see any reason for aging this any longer, for me the balance between primary/secondary/tertiary notes is perfect at this point (2764 views) | | | Tasted by StainedGlass on 10/11/2022 & rated 92 points: Even better than the last bottle. Classic Musar profile. Prior tasting note applies:
“ A wine aficionado's wine - and I mean that in a good way. Light ruby in color, with a fragrant spicy, earthy bouquet and some alcohol. There is just a lot going on in the glass: strawberry, plums, tea, leather, morel mushrooms, some eucalyptus. There is definitely some pleasant barnyard earthiness too (some may find that a little too funky). And a really long pleasant finish. This is a great wine to enjoy with open-minded friends, because it is a little earthy but everyone will spot something different in the glass.” (3010 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 9/1/2022 & rated 92 points: From a bottle (rather than the half bottles we have been drinking up until now). 4h after opening, it was coming round. Soft, good fruit, good balance and length, some spice but it seemed simpler than previous tastings.
Still a good deep colour with a little browning at the rim. On day 2, there were more hints of the rich, ‘sweet’ dark fruit and spice that I expect. Given time in the glass, the Musar characteristics began to emerge. The acidity and tannin were prominent with the youthful juicy character I found earlier. I think this may be a classic example of wine in half bottles maturing much quicker than when in a 75cl bottle.
It definitely was much better after an hour in the glass on day 3 with the fruit, spice, and complexity opening attractively. Two hours later, it was drinking like a true Musar red and it continued to improve.
I will leave our other bottles of this vintage in the cellar for a while. In the meantime, I would suggest that, if you have this in 75 or 150cl bottles, it is a wine to consider opening the day before drinking.
Not a wine to ‘pop and pour’ in my opinion. If you have done this earlier with a well-stored bottle of the 2002 you may have missed its full development.
I wonder if others have comments on Musar in half bottle / bottle / magnum. I have a vivid memory of a tasting given by Jane Sowter of Chateau Musar UK who made this comparison with us using the 2008 vintage in these three bottle sizes. The different evolution depending on bottle size was very evident so I think this may be a key factor for the 2002.
I’m sorry if this note has changed as I have added my experiences over 3 days.
I would still score this as a 92++ (if you get the timing right and can give it time to open). (2665 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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.2002 Chateau Musar2002 was a year full of pleasing discoveries which look likely to continue ...
After four successive years of drought, we had a long, rainy and cold winter which lasted until June. This was followed by a mild July and a hot August. The grapes took longer to reach maturity than aver age and the harvest started almost two weeks later than in previous years. The maturity level varied from vineyard to vineyard forcing us to be selective in our harvesting. The grapes were all hand picked in the early mornings.
The grapes began arriving at the winery on the 15th of September. We had to lower the average fermentation temperature to allow the yeast to finish transforming the sugar into alcohol. Fermentation in concrete vats went perfectly well but slowly with the temperature kept below 31°C. The very long fermentation and maceration were totally unexpected. The wines were racked six months after the harvest and then put into French Nevers oak barrels for one year. The three varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan – which up until then had been kept separate were blended in the following summer (2004) and bottled in July and August 2005.
The grapes of this year were characterised by high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins, and the resulting wines are much bigger, riper and fuller than expected. An exceptional year: normally in Lebanon, high sugar content means less acidity but in 2002 everything was there!
Deep crimson – even blood red - in colour, the 2002 has an intense and complex nose of spicy red fruits and cedar with deeper plum notes. Generous red and black fruit characters follow through to the palate, combining with notes of Christmas cake spices, figs, dates and stewed plums. This richly-fruited wine shows good acidity, silky tannins and a long, promising finish.
14% alc/volChateau 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. |
|
