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Musar Maniacs part II
Pera SF
Tasted April 22, 2016 by RajivAyyangar with 352 views
Introduction
For the previous Musar Maniacs tasting - also at Pera - go here: https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=30976&searchId=1B8824A0&UISource=list
Leon + 1, Gence, Alder, Tim, and a few others I'm forgetting (I'm transcribing the notes 6 months later).
Around 10: '95
Around 9.5: '90
Between 9-9.5: '88, '87, '82, '98 blanc
Flawed: '72, '93 blanc
The '88 and '87 were very similar. Less singing than the 95 but with some serious stuffing. Maybe they need more time for tertiary character to solidify and emerge?
Flight 1 (8 notes)
Red
1990 Chateau Musar
95 points
Pale ruby-garnet. Quite turbid in the glass.
Complex nose of sweet tertiary fruit - faded and illuminated cherry. Savory dog fur (Brett), a slight balsamic tingle. Loads of dried roses, cranberry, dried orange, sandalwood and yam skin. Over time hints of anise emerged.
The nose is high-toned.
Burgundian on the palate with aggressive acidity and a tart finish [Note: The grapes were picked early on account of war.]. It lacks the intensity and darkness of tertiary fruit that the '95 has, but clearly has the same type of tertiary fruit.
Score: around 9.5
Complex nose of sweet tertiary fruit - faded and illuminated cherry. Savory dog fur (Brett), a slight balsamic tingle. Loads of dried roses, cranberry, dried orange, sandalwood and yam skin. Over time hints of anise emerged.
The nose is high-toned.
Burgundian on the palate with aggressive acidity and a tart finish [Note: The grapes were picked early on account of war.]. It lacks the intensity and darkness of tertiary fruit that the '95 has, but clearly has the same type of tertiary fruit.
Score: around 9.5
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Comments (4)
Red
1995 Chateau Musar
100 points
One of the Maine bottles: Top shoulder fill, no seepage, cork soaked almost through save 0.5 cm.
Out of the bottle, it was as usual - thin, Bretty, and figgy, with balsamic prickle.
It grabbed almost everyone at the tasting. The experience was consistent with recent bottles, but what really stood out to me, in context of the other vintages, was the aromatic balance of tertiary fruit, lingering primary fruit, and earthy/savory notes. As always it constantly changed and shifted in the glass.
Faintly burnt nose, with fur, sweet tamari, and tertiary blackcurrant. Slight toast and intense cassis liqueur. Slightly burnt sandalwood, yam skin.
As always, medium bodied, medium alcohol, elevated and persistent acidity. Still has some tannic grip - quite developed and plush at this point. The finish is infinite.
I didn't want to say anything, as it was only the second wine we poured (and my own bottle), but others said it for me. The wine was f-ing amazing.
Score: 10
Out of the bottle, it was as usual - thin, Bretty, and figgy, with balsamic prickle.
It grabbed almost everyone at the tasting. The experience was consistent with recent bottles, but what really stood out to me, in context of the other vintages, was the aromatic balance of tertiary fruit, lingering primary fruit, and earthy/savory notes. As always it constantly changed and shifted in the glass.
Faintly burnt nose, with fur, sweet tamari, and tertiary blackcurrant. Slight toast and intense cassis liqueur. Slightly burnt sandalwood, yam skin.
As always, medium bodied, medium alcohol, elevated and persistent acidity. Still has some tannic grip - quite developed and plush at this point. The finish is infinite.
I didn't want to say anything, as it was only the second wine we poured (and my own bottle), but others said it for me. The wine was f-ing amazing.
Score: 10
Red
1988 Chateau Musar
93 points
Medium-minus ruby-garnet in the glass, cloudy.
Savory nose of stewed tertiary cassis, roasted carrot in browned butter. Carrot biryani - it reminds me of an older Musar Blanc in some ways.
Slightly spiced, with hints of metal, sandalwood, and sawdust (the oak is showing a bit - not in a bad way). Slight balsamic prickle.
Grippy medium plus tannins, tissue paper and silk.
It's structured like the '87, but seems less dense and integrated on both the mid-palate and finish.
9-9.5
Savory nose of stewed tertiary cassis, roasted carrot in browned butter. Carrot biryani - it reminds me of an older Musar Blanc in some ways.
Slightly spiced, with hints of metal, sandalwood, and sawdust (the oak is showing a bit - not in a bad way). Slight balsamic prickle.
Grippy medium plus tannins, tissue paper and silk.
It's structured like the '87, but seems less dense and integrated on both the mid-palate and finish.
9-9.5
Red
1987 Chateau Musar
93 points
Medium minus ruby-garnet.
Savory nose of dark tertiary cassis, slight anise. Hints of honey, carob.
Aggressive palate, showing cab character and structure - some tannic grip, though rounded.
Stewed blackberry. Hints of firecracker smoke, sandalwood sawdust (oak).
There's impressive density to the midpalate, and a long finish. Darker and earthier than the 95, though not as open or singing.
9-9.5
Savory nose of dark tertiary cassis, slight anise. Hints of honey, carob.
Aggressive palate, showing cab character and structure - some tannic grip, though rounded.
Stewed blackberry. Hints of firecracker smoke, sandalwood sawdust (oak).
There's impressive density to the midpalate, and a long finish. Darker and earthier than the 95, though not as open or singing.
9-9.5
Red
1972 Chateau Musar
flawed
Bottle condition: Sunken cork ~0.5cm. Upper-mid-shoulder fill. Cork was soaked through and came out in pieces.
Out of the bottle: Smells bit cork-like (not necessarily TCA, but actually like cork). Dried-out hard-cheese rind, and significant acetaldehyde. Not sure if this is corked. I don't think so. Definitely not as good as the other bottle out of the gate - the other was completely open and ready to go.
At the tasting: Clearly corked. Many tears.
Out of the bottle: Smells bit cork-like (not necessarily TCA, but actually like cork). Dried-out hard-cheese rind, and significant acetaldehyde. Not sure if this is corked. I don't think so. Definitely not as good as the other bottle out of the gate - the other was completely open and ready to go.
At the tasting: Clearly corked. Many tears.
Red
1982 Chateau Musar
93 points
LM's magnum from the UK.
On the nose, smells burnt - reductive.
On the palate, powerful and muscular. Still tannic (medium-plus). There's an impression of dense, dark fruit, but it's not very expressive - closed down?
There's a slight hint of dark, complex tobacco and fruit, along with a suggestion of huitlacoche.
Good, but no one who had previously tasted this thought the bottle was showing correctly.
Even so, 9-9.5
On the nose, smells burnt - reductive.
On the palate, powerful and muscular. Still tannic (medium-plus). There's an impression of dense, dark fruit, but it's not very expressive - closed down?
There's a slight hint of dark, complex tobacco and fruit, along with a suggestion of huitlacoche.
Good, but no one who had previously tasted this thought the bottle was showing correctly.
Even so, 9-9.5
White
1993 Chateau Musar Blanc
Diminished aromatics - muted and dusty. Weird nose - play dough, almond skin. There's a strange bitter flavor to this - like a tongue depresser (not corked though). High acid.
8.5-9, but maybe this is an off-bottle.
8.5-9, but maybe this is an off-bottle.
White
1998 Chateau Musar Blanc
92 points
Light gold in the glass. Recognizable nose of a white musar just starting to transform. Still a bit primary (green apple - slightly dried, candied lemon), but with some tertiary (slight honey, raw carrot). The secondaries are captivating and transporting - camphor (reminds me of a ping pong ball), wax, incredibly sweet bearclaw, almond croissant.
After about an hour this sang a bit more.
The next morning it was simpler, more apple-y and oxidized, with yellow bruised apples, but there was also more tertiary development - the honey-carrot-browned-butter thing that Musar Blanc develops with age.
All signs point to this being at the early stages of the inflection point.
9-9.5
After about an hour this sang a bit more.
The next morning it was simpler, more apple-y and oxidized, with yellow bruised apples, but there was also more tertiary development - the honey-carrot-browned-butter thing that Musar Blanc develops with age.
All signs point to this being at the early stages of the inflection point.
9-9.5