A very recent release. This is like a zero dosage Champagne without the bubbles. A nice expression of Rose. As I now recall from Serge Hochar some years ago, this was originally intended to be the base wine for a Rose Champagne until the nomenclature rules changed.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Colour is a very deep copper Sauternes. Nose is a pronounced copper metallic on entry then lanolin and subsequently fresh hazelnuts. With extended time in the glass the nose turns into the scent of Jasmine on a warm summer evening....which is why these wines need such long decanting. Palate is very rounded but still high acidity yet it mellows beautifully in the mouth as it warms. Still very young.....I thought Marc said it was only released last year but there seem to be CTer notes going back to 2002. Heady finish with a growing resonance. This seems to have the material to evolve positively for 20+ years. But great now with a very long decant.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Silvery gold. Nose is high-toned, very approachable, a predominance of unripened Jasmine flowers. Palate is similar. Overall, there is a Sauvignon Blanc character at this stage of its very early evolution. 88-ish for now.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Surprisingly, my first experience of this vintage. Slightly dusky velvet red in colour. Nose is WOW!....very tertiary but still so fresh....so sniffable...ethereal....this is angels dancing in your cerbral cortex. Palate is deep, plummy and rich with hints of cognac....almost Christmas pudding because it also has that nuttiness. It just resonates and resonates lightly in your head forever. Gosh, beautiful.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Slightly separated, murky ruby colour. Very reticent on the nose....likely heat damaged. Palate is porty and somewhat one-dimensional. Saved almost by its very heady, long and reverberant finish which reminded me of how good this can be.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. This was a very rare bottle...only one of 200 bottles of 100% Carignan produced from the 1989 vintage and released in 2000. Very bright, transparent, jewelled ruby colour. Nose is bright, lifted, hints of the classic Musar Turkish spice market....really alluring and compelling. Palate is WOW!....so bright, alive, etherial and unusually floral because of the unique Carignan single varietal. So long and with a very special 'Alice Down the Rabbit Hole' in its resonance and reverberance. Only marred by its drop into acidity with extended time in the glass. My WOTN although the Ch Musar 1993 was most people's preference.

Pre-decanted for around 8 hours by Marc Hochar. Translucent ruby in colour and appearance....heavily sedimented. Nose is quite heavy and unevolved. Palate is quite porty and somewhat mono-dimensional. Heady but blunt on the finish. I have drank this before with Marc and his father when it was much more open and attractive. I suspect that it is in a sullen late adolescent period. Re-visit in 3-5 years or give it an overnight double decant.

Pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Semi-transparent , jewelled ruby gemstone in colour. Nose is bright and lifted red/black cherry. Palate is similar but greater predominance of deep, bright black cherry. Loads of life ahead of it....this is still semi-adolescent and that is underlined by its unusually moderate length and depth for a 22 year old Musar. Revisit in 5+ years.

Pre-decanted for around 8 hours by Marc Hochar. Dark and semi-transparent ruby colour. Nose is surprisingly reticent and unyeilding compared to previous occasions. Palate is is very dark, deep, linear but very fruit-driven.....an extremely young bottle despite the very long decant. Quite "young Port" with extended time in the glass. I think this has maybe gone into a closed period because it underperformed against most of my previous experiences, where i have marked it out as a future star vintage of Musar.

2 bottles I donated to the dinner which were pre-decanted for around 6 hours by Marc Hochar. Transparent, brightly jewelled lamb's blood colour. Lovely lightly perfumed Burgundian nose - wild strawberries and sous-bois. Palate is bright, fresh, jewelled, crisp followed by bitter dark chocolate and kirsch-infused cherries. Very clean and linear. Good length and resonance inside the head on the finish but this still seems to be holding back from its full potential. Most people's WOTN.

Pre-decanted for around 9 hours by Marc Hochar. Transparent, bright ruby colour. Quiet nose. Very tightly-coiled black/red cherry palate that reminds me of a Priorat. Too young and unevolved to demonstrate much length or resonance. Seems to have been crafted in a different style from 'classic' vintages. Has hardly evolved since I last drank it with Marc and Serge Hochar 8 years ago. Curious.

Pre-decanted for around 9 hours by Marc Hochar. Semi-translucent , deep black/red cherry colour. Nose is closed....black coal, but very clean, like a young Priorat. Palate is an orchestra still tuning up......elements of quite alcoholic heat, lots of jammy fruit, some spice but no integration even after such a long decant. A work in progress....too young to really enjoy.

Pre-decanted for around 10 hours by Marc Hochar. Semi-opaque purple/red colour....looks Californian. Nose is ripe, jammy, sweet fruit....quite nice even though not what I normally seek in a Musar. Palate is surprisingly approachable at 7 years old when my normal rule of thumb for Musar is to wait 15 years......really surprising, almost Californian, though a bit green and still too much alcoholic heat on the back end. But there is no doubting that this is classic Ch. Musar in the making. Very impressed despite my inbred preference for more decades of ageing when it comes to Ch Musar.