Chateau Musar 1999-2004 vertical blind tasting

I've been fascinated by Chateau Musar for decades, and I've previously tried four out of six wines in this tasting, but never side-by-side. This blind tasting revealed some surprises, but also confirmed this wine's reputation. I was able to guess the 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003, but the one I thought was the 2001 was actually the 2004 and vice versa.

I have reluctantly provided numeric ratings in some cases. (How do you sum up the experience with one number? It's almost as absurd as rating your friends or children on a scale of one to 100!)

• 2004 Chateau Musar 91 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  The most “modern” tasting of the 1999-2004 vintages in the flight, this is the closest that Chateau Musar ever comes to a “pop and pour” wine. Only about an hour after opening, the 2004 becomes fragrant, with cedar and cinnamon on the nose. It also delivers a steady soft, black currant fruit flavor. It’s much less volatile than the others, except perhaps the 2001. It’s also more open and accessible, and a little less interesting, but still quite fine. Tasters rated it 3rd out of the six vintages. The 2004 is just entering its drinking window, so while there’s no need to wait, there’s no need to hurry, either.

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• 2002 Chateau Musar 90 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  A Musar drinker’s Musar, the 2002 starts with noticeable brett, which eventually blows off to reveal the most savory – even tangy – wine of the evening. The nose varies from morel mushrooms to Morello cherries, complementing the equally changeable palate. At times that featured stewed fruit, at others, salted caramel. Truly iconoclastic, and very entertaining, this wine is not for the faint of heart. While I rated the 2002 4th out of six for the evening along with about half the tasters, I ended up having the most emotional attachment to this vintage out of them all. It’s very hard to say how further aging will affect such a wine, but it seems ready to go to me.

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• 2000 Chateau Musar Flawed

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Finishing last among the six vintages in the tasting, and mustering only a single vote above 4th place, the 2000 Musar seems like one to forget. The brett never burns off, and the persistent tannins don’t make room for whatever fruit remains. Did this bottle suffer from poor storage somewhere over the years? I purchased it in the same lot as the 1999 (also suspect), but along with the 2001, which was in perfect condition. The cork was fine. Whatever the case, I won’t be seeking out more bottles of the 2000 soon.

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• 1999 Chateau Musar Flawed

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  The big disappointment of the night. I got to sample the 1999 eight years ago, and then it was a robust red, even if it wasn’t my favorite. Now it’s noticeably over the hill, even if it’s not dead yet. The color is a little lighter and more orange than the others, but still quite dark, and not transparent at the rim. Meanwhile, the nose is more mineral, with wet stone and cassis. Brett is dominant at first, but eventually yields to fading, faintly overripe fruit. Was this bottle flawed? It’s hard to tell. The cork was fine. One taster still rated the 1999 first among the six vintages, while another gave it second place, but most (like me) gave it 5th place. Drink up.

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• 2003 Chateau Musar 94 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Wine of the night, with half the tasters rating it 1st, and only one rating it below 2nd place in the flight.
  
  The 2003 replaces the usual Musar funk with a dollop of ripe fruit, which expands the savory foundation in multiple dimensions. Fig, date, and dark cherry flavors, along with a racy spiciness evolved over time in the glass to keep it entertaining. Even traditionalists were taken by this big, friendly, complex wine. Definitely in its prime right now, I’d recommend drinking remaining bottles over the next couple of years while the fruit’s still fresh.

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• 2001 Chateau Musar 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Initially darker and a little more closed than the other wines in the flight, the 2001 vintage opens into very fine table wine that’s less immediately identifiable as a Musar than most of the others in the flight. The fruit perfectly balances the tannins, even if the flavor occasionally veers into overripe territory. Fortunately, with the next sip, it steps back from the brink just in time.
  
  Perhaps because it’s a more conventional wine, tasters were better able to keep their bearings with the 2001, and they rewarded it with a 2nd place rating out of the six vintages on offer. If nothing else, this suggests that Musar can be very, very good even when it’s not extraverted. This is also the only wine in the flight that I believe would really benefit from more aging.

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The winery apparently changed vendors for its bottles and corks starting with the 2001 vintage. Be very careful extracting the corks from the 2001-2004 vintages. They're extremely tight and prone to dryness on the upper half, making them prone to breakage. (Even Jancis Robinison ended up publishing a 2018 review of the 2001 with bits of floating cork in it.) Fortunately, these 2001+ wines have all been sound, so the worry of a crumbling cork hasn't translated to a decline in quality.