Drinking perfectly right now, tannins are now quite mild. Slightly vegetal and musty nose, smooth on delivery. Drink now - will keep, although no real need to wait! Had it against 09 Kanonkop, which was more fruit forward and not quite as sophisticated.
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The Wine Society, UK, tasting of Chateau Musar. Wines introduced by owners Gaston and Mark Hochar. Venue: London.
Medium plum colour. The nose is well developed, lovely aromas of blackcurrant and dark berry fruit. Rich palate, well matured and changing in the glass over one hour. Excellent.
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Has aromas of leather, blackberries, minerals, and mint. Its medium bodied spherical black, red and blue fruits palate has lovely depth and finishes mediumish, fresh with some volatile acidity and tapering. 14%. Needs 7-8 hrs aeration. 14%. Drink now with a rare fillet steak or lay down 10-20 years. I don't know if this will make old bones as its a lighter Musar but who knows they age legendarily. One glass.
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Delicious. Medium bodied with layers of flavors. Plum, red cherry, mushroom, forest soil. Rich with flavor but not extracted 13.5% abv. Young for a Musar but great now and it will continue to improve with age, particularly worth holding if you like tertiary characteristics.
Deep garnet red with cherry highlights. Nice legs. Full on Musar nose! Full of dried cherry, horsey funk, leather, brown spice, dried rhubarb, red plum, light oak and more. Love it!! Medium bodied, very dry, high acidity, tart fruit, high tannin. Sucks the moisture out of your mouth! Super smooth. Flavours of dried red berries, cedar (almost pine), sweaty leather, cherry pit, slight char and blue plum skins. Finishes long, grippy and uber dry. The tannins coat your entire mouth! 91 to start.
4 hrs later:
Still very funky on the nose with sour cherry, cherry cough candy, wool sock and light fresh tarragon. Sweet fruit entry. Fuller and sweeter on the palate now. Not a funky or feral as it was initially. Smooth, mostly dried and tart red fruits, savoury leather and stewed rhubarb. Knitting together and opening up nicely now. Up to 92 points.
At the 7 hr mark:
Still funky but more integrated with savoury fruit on the nose. Sour and dried cherry, sweaty saddle, cherry cough candy again, shredded bark, wet wool and stone dust on the nose. Very smooth, sweet, savoury and dried red fruit, mostly cherry and cranberry, dusty earth, leather and spice. Long finish, dry, but not as dry as initially, and finishes crisp and clean. 92 points.
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92/93. The cork broke so had to decant this for 7 hrs+. Has typical Musar aromas of earthy funky blackberries, leather, mineral hints, and raspberries. Its medium bodied solid+chunky earthy forest fruits palate has got very nice depth and freshness and ends medium long and fresh with good grip. 14%. I am not sure if 2009 was good in Lebanon. This seems light for a Musar but as always it improves and is always an adventure. Lay down 10-15 years+ or drink now with the 7 hr decant.
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Briefly, this seems to have come on nicely since my last note 10 months ago. Now with a 5 hour decant it's in a pretty good place: classic Musar, well balanced, spice, fruit, acidity. Pairing perfectly with slightly spicy food (butter chicken as it happens). It doesn't yet look like a classic vintage (such as 1999) but it's definitely great value for the ~US$36 that I paid back in 2019!
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2009 in Beqaa began very dry with very little snow or rain until March. Low humidity throughout the season and the first grapes were harvested very early, in the beginning of September. However, right after the beginning of the harvest torrential rains arrived and the remaining grapes managed to collect some of that water. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 14% alcohol, 1,9 g/l residual sugar and 5,7 g/l acidity . Aerated in a decanter for four hours before tasting the wine.
Deep, moderately opaque and slightly evolved blackish-red color. The nose feels ripe, clean and slightly evolved yet not fully mature with aromas of sweet dark berries, some juicy blackcurrant tones, a little bit of new leather, light balsamic notes of VA, a hint of wizened figs and a touch of raisiny dark fruit. The wine feels ripe, juicy and quite sunny on the palate with a full body and succulent flavors of dark plummy fruit and gamey meat, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light leathery nuances, a brambly hint of black raspberries and a balancing touch of sour cherry bitterness. The wine packs quite a bit of structure with its high acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus acidity, but the fruit doesn't have the same intensity as the surrounding vintages 2008 and 2010. The finish is ripe, spicy and moderately grippy with a long, dry-ish aftertaste of dark plummy fruit and ripe black cherry, some leathery tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light notes of tobacco, a hint of ripe red plum and a touch of balsamico.
A tasty and sophisticated but also a somewhat fruity and glossy vintage of Musar. This is instantly recognizable for the house style, but somehow the overall feel is lacking a bit in depth and complexity - at least when comparing to the great vintages. I feel the previous bottle I tasted (in late 2019) felt a bit more evolved and slightly more anonymous compared to this bottle that was drinking pretty much the way I'd expect a Musar to perform at this point. I feel this time this vintage was performing quite similarly to the first bottle I tasted back in early 2017 - only with a bit more evolution and the resulting tertiary dried-fruit flavors. However, while an enjoyable Musar in its own right, I feel this isn't going to be a particularly interesting or long-lived vintage - although I really hope the wine will prove me wrong with further aging. There's still some potential, but the ripe, fruity overall feel reminds me more of the similarly styled 2015 vintage - only with a bit less intensity and a softer structure. Nevertheless, this has been worth its price at 35,70€.
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Briefly, very clean cork, high fill, decanted for about 5 hours before rebottling to go to the restaurant. But this is clearly not enough air for such a young Musar. The acidity is still moderate+, the fruit has elements of classic Musar, and is a bit more perfumed than the 2008 we drank alongside it, tannins still a little rough round the edges, and the whole thing a bit disjointed.
I would say this needs either a VERY long decant (at least overnight) if you must drink it now, or another 5+ years in the bottle.
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Colour : Dark dullish red-granite in colour. Fine sediment. Aromas : Stewed sweet red fruits and plums lead and are the primary aromas. Followed by leather, a touch of volatile acidity, and then toss in some anise, and a saline/stoney minerality. Also picking up some provence herbs. Nice complexity here. Flavours : Stewed red fruits and plums. Also getting cherries and blackberries. Overall a nice rich elegance. There is a moderate tartness to the fruit, makes it feel a bit fresher. Picking up some cedar, anise, and spices. Then a slight bitterness on the finish … berry and black tea leaves. Mouthfeel : Medium to full bodied, dry with dusty to silty tannins that are prevalent but well integrated. Long finish that leans to a black cherry tea taste (but not sweet, slight bitterness). Fulsome in the mouth but not heavy …. Almost like a cloudy, puffy feeling. Overall : Wonderful wine. Not that I have had a lot of Musar, but this is one of the better ones. Lingers and coats in the mouth. Nice overall balance, elegant, round.
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Musar Vertical: This is again more in line with the 2006 and shows pure energy on the nose at the moment, obviously incredibly young, embrional really, but man this energy is really something. While young, this shows already a lot of quintessential Musar-characteristics in my opinion. The palate is very structured still and also a bit similar to the 2006 in my opinion. I think this will need a lot of time and shouldn’t be consumed before 2030 at the absolute earliest. Great potential though. 18+/20
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Just a baby, I know, but then again why not?!? Decanted but very little sediment. Medium dark, full ruby red, but no signs of garnet or bricking. Classic Musar nose of sweet red fruits (macerated cherry, red plum, mulberry), leather, merde, funk, sweat, some VA, cedar, aniseed and surprisingly some minerality at the very end. Very complex nose! Totally in your face, but I love it! Medium bodied, dry, tart red fruits, soft but abundant tannins, and perfectly balanced from front to back. The linear balance is quite striking; not overpowering or hollow anywhere, just steady. Hard to describe. The flavours are tart red fruits, cedary dryness and texture, some funk, dried herbs, licorice with a tangy fruit finish that lingers effortlessly and then leaves a fine coating of tingly tannins on the roof of your mouth. Not yet profound (like the 2002) but complex, unique and distinctive! Has everything going on that I love about Musar!
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Decanted for almost 2 hours. Mmmm, delicious! The nose shows wonderful aromas of red cherries with a hint of VA, lilac and maybe blueberry. The palate is young, lots of fruit, red berries, good tannins, touch of bitter dark chocolate. Delicious, but definitely needs e.g. grilled foods to go with. Lots of potential here, this will be even better in a few years.
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Beautiful nose- very Bordeaux. Ash, kindling, cedar, apple chips, black cherry ice cream, and lemongrass. Saturating, black pepper and mesquite up front. The tannins are present but tame, mixing nicely with the acid. Long finish. This Musar is ready to drink.
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Slight "acetone" and "nail polish" aromas as noted below. Allow a minimum 1 hour slow ox. I had it over 12 hours with some positive development.
Smoke, leather, tobacco and stable mix with red fruit (raspberry) and some darker fruits (cassis).
Similar notes on the palate, but some spices as well. Still some tannins that give a certain structure. Semi-long finish. Might benefit some additional cellaring.
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Always great to revisit this old-world style wine, the 2009 has settled in nicely for the long haul. Just coming into balance, showing array of ripe red and black currants, cedar, and a good dose of minerality. Will continue to evolve and drink well over next 10 years.
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Upon opening young Musar (2009 is young) emits "acetone" and "nail polish" aromas. Best to decant for several hours. This one was left over night. The acetone gives way to a panoply of white fruit (peaches) and red fruit (raspberry) scents. Ethereal aromas prefigure a surprisingly Robust body with drying tannin. Flavours of red fruit but also spices and aniseed. In the mouth something else happens. Its tannic and structured (another reason for a long decant) but those aromas create multi-flavours on top. Its all going on. Long finish. This is burgundy on a foundation of Bordeaux, with a dash of Alsace. But actually entirely its own thing.
very youthful still at 11 years old. an array of darker fruit, leather, and cedar notes, with a touch of balsamic. no harm in opening this now but the best days are 5+ years down the road
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I always feel Musar needs a minimum 10 years to show itself. There was no discolouration here and the overall feel was slightly tight and a young but typical spicy, raisiny Musar. I think it is all there but will need another 2-3 years to really get interesting.
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Usually I compare this to Bordeaux. The first night, this was more like aged Brunello di Montalcino. Savory smell. Plum. Mint. Eucalyptus. Olives. Game. Sweet finish. Funk. The second night, this was like 20 year old Bordeaux.
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Opened very reserved. Possibly the least giving Musar I've ever had. There was some dark chocolate and oregano eventually and it became more herbal as we drank it. Never even paired that well with a wide range of lebanese plates. Maybe it needs a few years.
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Decanted 2h prior. A sound cork but extracted with care. Good, deep colour but not opaque. The nose showed more juicy acidity (orange citrus) than usual and the wine seemed a little 'unsettled' after decanting. However, given a couple of hours, it began to show its true character. A complex nose, good (mainly red cherry but with hints of redcurrant) fruit but the acidity remained prominent. Given time, the cherry morphed into Maraschino and the palate became richer. I enjoyed this, especially with food later, but I think it is too young at this stage. A wine to keep for the future, I think. 90+ 24h later, the youthful, juicy acidity persisted but the wine was richer, more complex, and still very, very long. I picked up just a hint of the 'burnt rubber' mentioned by Nutty08 on the late palate - a first for me with Musar. It will be interesting to see how the balance changes as it matures. Will the acidity mellow or begin to mask the fruit?
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Le vin a besoin de beaucoup d’air afin qu’il s’offre complètement. C’est très bien comme 2eme expérience avec le vin. Il y a de bon tannins et une bonne structure et vraiment très difficile à trouver à l’aveugle.
On the lighter end of medium bodied. Aromas showing red berry fruits and cassis with hints of cedar, acetone, earthiness. Nice complexity. On the flavours, see above and toss in a decent freshness to the fruit, grainy to softer tannins, and a hint of greenness. Seems a bit different …. softer/more mellow then most Musar. That hint of reduction and acetone is there. I did enjoy the wine. Good balance …. wonder what another 5 years will bring with my last bottle.
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Wet interesting wine. Red fruited. Quite bright and narrow on the palate—almost crisp. Has a bit of burnt rubber/reduction on the nose. Chalky mineral finish. Probably best to hold this is a bit further.
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As always, this is one of the best QPR in the world...if you enjoy "old style/old world" wines. The coulour is of medium intensity, with a typical Musar nose of sweet tobacco, cedar, stewed straberries and a slight touch of barnyard. The finish is very long and the overall palate is very well balanced. Always one of my favourite wines, especially for $59! Enjoy now or cellar for another 10 years.
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Tasted after the 2008. Dark, concentrated, spicy, notes of tobacco, smoke, cedar. Very dense but well balanced, great acidity, well integrated tannins. Youthful, but approachable. Very long. Lovely. 92-94
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At Tastings in Indy. The best I’ve had so far tonight, although this is more dry and austere than I prefer. Soft cedar perfume nose, the palate is dry red fruit, some earthy cedar notes, and a long acid berry finish. Great with my cheese plate.
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2009 in Beqaa began very dry with very little snow or rain until March. Low humidity throughout the season and the first grapes were harvested very early, in the beginning of September. However, right after the beginning of the harvest torrential rains arrived and the remaining grapes managed to collect some of that water. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 14% alcohol. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.
Brooding and somewhat translucent black cherry color with a hint of youthful blue. Very ripe and sweet-toned nose with rich aromas of licorice, wizened raspberries, some smoky tones, a little bit of sweet balsamic VA, light plummy tones, a hint of savory exotic spices and a touch of raisin. The wine is ripe, full-bodied and quite dense on the palate with somewhat dry, fruit-forward flavors of ripe cranberries, succulent red plums, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of balsamic VA, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a hint of raisin and a touch of new leather. The wine feels very balanced, but the structure seems to rely a bit more on the moderately high acidity than on the ripe medium-plus tannins. The finish is ripe, somewhat grippy and enjoyably textural with savory flavors of dry leather, exotic spices, some wizened dark plums, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light boysenberry tones, a spicy hint of turmeric and a sweet, volatile touch of balsamico.
A pleasant, ripe and juicy vintage of Musar, but in comparison to the surrounding vintages, this seems a bit softer and supple in style and with less character and funk. It's a nice wine on its own, but perhaps lacking the thrill one looks for in a good Musar. It's hard to say whether this is a faster-maturing vintage or one that actually requires more age to start showing its best. However, I'm not that convinced anymore that this is going to be a particularly memorable vintage of Musar as it ages. On the contrary, I'm getting a feeling that this is more like a vintage one can safely skip over. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 35,70€.
Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Very opaque purple plum fading to red plum at the rim. Very Musar nose of ripe, tart and dried red berries, some horseiness in the background, leather, game meat, camphor, licorice, spice and more. Perhaps a trace of VA to add to the complexity. Very smooth entry. Lots of red licorice, tart red berries that come across as a combination of dried and sweet, sour cherry, leather and pine tar. Medium full bodied. Tight acidity. Chalky tannins. Long, mouth watering finish. Very dry. Still needs more time to mellow out and improve. So different from anything else out there. Not the ripest or sweetest Musar but still very good. I have to say I really like this wine!
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WX+ 'X9 Blind Cabernet Sauvignon Meetup (My House - Hanover Park, IL): Didn't have the elegance or length of the rest of the pack tonight. Nice straight forward darker red fruit with a good dose of spice. Some austerity. The finish just wasn't there. Fine but I've had better Musar.
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This shows bold aromas of violets, dark fruits and liquorice all-sorts which knit together to form a rather compelling whole. I didn’t notice any brett or funk. The wine is very primary right now and feels just slightly disjointed on the palate. Fruit, tannins and minerality are present, and with time they should settle and integrate. I’d hold this for a few more years.
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Mørke bær, hint av krydder, rose og trøffel på lukt. Fyldig og myk i munnen smak av mørke bær. Lang med treverk og et lite tanninbitt i avslutningen. Nydelig til entrecote med pommes. Ikke noe særlig utvikling med luft.
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Musars in Rumney with Tim et al. (The Little House Inn, Rumney NH): Vibrant red fruit - almost crunchy pomegranate. Popped and poured. Tasted against the ’07 with consistent notes as in 2016 - the ’09 is more primary, youthful, and intensely fruited. The ’07 more developed, mushroomy, tertiary.
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In Wakefield with CJS et al. Opened (no decant) in the morning ~12 hrs before. It was awesome out of the bottle and improved with time.
Deep and Rich. The nose is phenomenally complex, especially surprising given this is pretty young still. Orange peel, pomegranate, fig skin. Amaro, homemade Maraschino cherry. Long evolving finish. Satiny tannins - still medium plus. So persistent on the palate!
This is in a great spot, even though it's pre-inflection. I can't recall a better showing of a young vintage - maybe the 2004 was comparable?
Half bottle. Decanted and left for 5h after which time spice and eucalyptus began to develop on the nose. Good colour. The palate was lighter than most mature vintages of Musar at this stage but showed cherry and orange citrus flavours with good and long citrus acidity. Early fine-grained tannins had softened. After 6 hours, it was richer, softer, and beginning to develop more depth of flavour. 7 Hours after decanting, with food (roast beef), the wine came alive. At this young age, it would not be a restaurant choice for me unless it can be opened well in advance. 90+ at this stage but this will rise with the years.
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SAQ N° 13393000 54$ Beaucoup plus fruité et vivant que le 2001 AMHA. Eucalyptus, orange amère, menthe, thym. Moins acide également et longueur un peu plus intéressante. Bref, moins de tertiaire, un peu plus vivant. ***
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Bought this off a restaurant wine list that had some appealing wines at pornographic prices. This seemed the fairest value, at approximately 2x retail price. Sidebar conversation: when did 3x become the new 2x? Anyway, I was dining with friends, so I'll blame the paucity of detailed descriptors below on the attention demanded by good company and conversation.
Light crimson color. Warm, dense nose of cedar wood, blackberry jam, and mint leaf. The palate by contrast is lean and elegant, with light red fruit flavors balanced by fine acidity. The only major disappointment is that this finishes somewhat weakly.
Overall, this is nice wine in an absolute sense, but far from the best that Chateau Musar can produce. Always fun to play "where is this wine from" with people who don't know the house. This bottle might have prompted guesses of Brunello di Montalcino or Barbaresco.
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Served blind. Medium clear ruby with barely a hint of orange at rim. Light fruity acidity. I actually guessed cinsault from Lebanon, but not Ch Musar as it seemed a bit thin at first look.
With 45 minutes this opens up quite nicely to a fairly elegant (13.5%) red blend. Nice and worth a try
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Knew I was robbing the cradle but had to drink a bottle with tomahawk ribeye my older son grilled. Dark and brooding, nose of black plum, coal and spice intense after full hour decant, this wine has considerably more to give in drink window of 2021-2035. Long and deep, intensifying finish shows that tannins need to integrate a bit more, but will reward patience.
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Delicious! I know still too young and can improve a lot of years. But after 40 minutes on decanter was enough to create balance and show all potential from the Chateau Musar.
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Chateau Musar tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Medium youthful ruby; aromatic, slight sweet pepper, slight savory with soy; palate is medium bodied, medium length with mulled cherries, more savory on the palate than the nose; nice medium-long finish. Wonderful wine, still early in its development. Lovely, but I still will wait a few years on my bottles. 91+
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From a half bottle. PnP: bramble fruits. This has a nice richness to it and surprisingly less Musar ‘funk’ characteristics. Left for a couple of hours and acidity is showing more. A touch of sharper red fruit is now evidentent along with the darker fruit and there is a tad funkiness to the wine. Paired very well with Moroccan bbq leg of lamb and sides. Ready to drink now if you were to like this primary stage to the wine but as we all know this’ll go on for many more years yet.
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Wine on Wheels Tasting (City Winery, NYC): I was really excited to see one of my favorite wines here at this tasting. Earthy and spicy and savory aromas. Spicy palate with crisp acid, dusty tannins, lots of herbs and pepper to accent the tart cherry and currant fruit. Long time ahead here, but a lovely Musar.
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Nog nooit een rode wijn geopend waarbij de kurk spontaan, bijna als een champagne er uit plopte . Daarna gedecanteerd. Heb al vele 1999 Musar uit mijn kelder geproefd. Groot jaar. Maar nu even niet blijkbaar. Wel de karakteristieken. Maar dun, geen body, geen afdronk.
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Weekly tasting group RWP #283: A mixed set (@ DJ): Special and beautiful, expressive and complex bouquet with coffee and chocolate. On the palate a full bodied wine with lead pencil, dark berries, chocolate and good, fresh acidity. 90+
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Unique! Massive nose of baked red fruits and a sharp, bright and sweet smell that is pretty indescribable but makes me think of paint. The palate is big, warm, and spicy, loaded with sweet baked fruit. Round mouthfeel but balanced with lively acidity.
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Brutal wine. Tasted from 2 bottles. Austere even after 2 hour of decant on one of the bottles. Overrated. Both bottles tasted ozydized, not a surprise from Musar style.
Pop and decant at the Pass in Houston. A baby by Musar standards but drinking well even at a young age. Medium to dark red color with layers of reddish fruits predominating. Always earthy with just a touch of baryard. Medium plus dry tannins. It has the power, but is less masculine and more elegant than many Bordeux style belnds. Musar is alway interesting to me but this vintage too will improve significantly over the years. One of my favorite wines.
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Le 2009 est mon second favori des 3 millésimes sortis cette année à la SAQ. Moins éclatant et beaucoup plus jeune que le 2004, tout de même c'est super bon et la carafe de 5h l'a énormément aidé. Le vin est encore clair, acide, sur le fruit croquant et les épices. J'acheterai toujours du Musar de temps en temps, c'est très différent.
4/5
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À l’aveugle, le nez est très intriguant et surtout intéressant. Une couleur rouge foncé, en bouche les tannins sont légers, le vin éclate en bouche et la longueur est forte intéressante. Je suis un peu déstabilisé et je vais par élimination sans mettre le doigt sur la région final. Surprise, c’est un Musar et c’est vraiment bon! Deuxieme expérience avec un vin de Musar et encore beaucoup de plaisir à le boire!
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À l'aveugle, clairement quelque chose que je n'avais jamais bu. Ça aurait pu être un Bordeaux blend mais sans parier la dessus. Tannins moyens, belle longueur. A été carafé 5h et ce n'est pas trop. Pour le prix c'est vrm exceptionnel c'est un must à avoir dans sa cave.
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Wines of Lebanon (SF): Structured like a Left Bank Cab. Some Brett, new oak, pyrazines and some black fruit but it's reticent. I think this is starting its inflection. Need to wait for it to become truly tertiary! Great structure.
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Blend of Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet. Cool nose, medium plus, floral, dark red fruit, dried red plum, herbal, mint, fresh earth. Palate is young, very dry, nice earth notes, dried fruits, several unique layers, complexity excellent, meaty, light spice, dry finish. Integration very good. Probably would hold because it can, but very good to drink now as well.
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At first the aroma is dominated by tea with a hint of mint. After the wine gets some air the smell turns earthy and meaty, with fruity aromas in the background. Some more air and the sensations change again and becomes more subtle. In the mouth the wine is soft and smooth, with well balanced acidity and tannins. The finishing is at first a bit too rough and dry and the aftertaste less rich and long than expected. But both improve with time and overall the wine turns out to be very interesting and fascinating.
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Alltid kul att prova musar även om det inte riktigt är min stil Väldigt robust men lantliga toner, läder och mörk frukt och en angenäm syrlig ton som får vinet att lätta upp lite. Trevligt
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(from 375ml) Unusually clean and fault free Musar. Drinking nicely right now though a touch short and dry on the finish. Will probably reward keeping. Perhaps those divisive Musar characteristics will emerge?
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10 months on from my last tasting, no further development, nor over three nights. The concern is that there is no discernible glimpse of Musar characteristics. For me this remains a puzzle or a disappointment.
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Primary and powerful, full at the forefront, with spices and leather that show up after an hour or so. Decant if drinking now, but even better to wait. This was from a .375 bottle, so would imagine that full bottles are even further behind in terms of development. 90+?
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Fully ripe black cherry colour. Medium full bodied. Cool lifted nose of sweaty saddle, horse, merde, vague red and purple fruit. No VA (yet). Still very young and primary taste of sweet and sour cherry, red currant, black currant pastille. Very smooth with a slight sour tang on the clean yet quite long finish. Smells much funkier than it tastes. Delicious and intriguing wine!
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Initial nose was minty but quickly blew off within minutes. Starts in the mouth with med high acidity and dark fruit with back tannins, forming a high intensity impact. It then smooths out to cab franc herbaceousness and finishes long and light, tartness. Over the evening pleasant barnyard developed on the nose. This was my first Musar and will be one of many, God willing.
Tasted at Tabule Restaurant in Toronto with GrapeNuts
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From a half bottle. Youthful colour with no hint of age yet. The nose shows leafy/minty Cabernet Sauvignon to the fore, but backed by some fig. Not obviously a Musar. Swirling reveals some leather and a hint of camphor.
The palate follows through similarly, being quite tight & clean, with dark fruit restrained by the grip from moderate but persistent tannins and assertive acidity.
Structurally this seems to have great potential, though best to leave them alone for a few years.
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It's always interesting to taste Musar as the vintages and bottles vary so much. At 8 years old, this had a dusty garnet colour; the nose showed rich forest fruits. Like most Musars, it needs food. Very good overall.
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Decanted for 30 mins. This is really primary now, juicy red cranberries, with a bit of barnyard on the nose. The palate is all red crunchy fruit now with tons of tannins. I think this has a lot of potential, wait for another 5 years for the next one!
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Kirsebær med et ørlite malingpreg og noe rosiner, men overhode ikke skjemmende. Frisk i anslaget i munnen, før fruktfylden overtar. Rundt og kraftig, med en litt sursøt finish. Myke tanniner, som nok med fordel kunne vært stramma litt opp. Svært god vin som er så vidt på den varme siden for vår smak. Kanskje går det seg til med alder, for vinen virker svært ung nå.
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So young! Like a petulant teenager, angry, brash and underdeveloped but with loads of potential for the future. Another 3-5 at least for all of the classic Musar attributes to meld more pleasingly together.
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2009 Ch. Musar. Dyp rubinrød med oransje kant. Blåbær og bjørnebær, spice og noe tobakk på nese. Følger opp i munn, men frukten er mere ripsaktig og elegant. Tanninene er modne, men mange; bra fast og friskt grep. Lang. Dette er nok på topp 2 over mine smakte Musarårganger. Meget godt kjellerpotensial. 91
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Broadbent Portfolio (Flatiron, SF): Coravined a day ago. Medium ruby in the glass, no hint of color variation. Pronounced nose. Distinctive black fruit - blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, all rolled into one. It's primary, but somehow wiser and more melded with the savory secondaries than pretty much any other young wine (ok, I guess this is 8 years old... but it's a current release!). Classic Musarian secondaries of dog fur (brett), anise, slight oak spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, tamari, bruised apple (acetaldehyde), slight balsamic (acetic acid), leather, tobacco, dried flowers, and fresh flowers.
There's a ripe peach note that's super interesting as well.
Dry, medium plus body, medium plus acid, medium plus tannins. Finish for days.
Conclusions: This is a totally classic and utterly delicious. Pre-inflection, so still primary. It will transform totally in 5-10 years.
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Le 1999 était à mon avis très évolué et tertiaire, sans oxydation toutefois. Une robe claire, des notes de pruneaux et de fleurs séchées avec du cuir, un nez légèrement fermier et une finale chaude.
Le 2004 a été le préféré de tous. On a aimé son équilibre, avec plus de fruits et d'épices que le 1999 mais plus ouvert que le 2009. Les tannins sont présents mais agréables. Celui qui soutenait le mieux le repas également.
Le 2009 démontre une robe plus foncée et légèrement turbide. Il s'ouvre légèrement en cours de dégustation mais demeure malgré tout secret. Ça nécessite sans aucun doute quelques années en cave.
Les vins ont été ouverts une heure à l'avance, puis décantés et remis en bouteille tout-de-suite, puis servis immédiatement.
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An easy 90 points, leaning towards more. Very clean and straightforward wine - showing well composed elements of stones, ash, dry earth, hints of berries and a touch of cellar. Easy drinking and we'll composed for a meal or on its own. Can certainly see this evolving with age, approachable now.
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We think this wine needs to be decanted at least two hours, if not two and a half hours, prior to drinking. After this time, the wine is smooth and round with hints of caramelised flavours. Very pleasant and is only improved with food such as beef or lamb. If you try to drink the wine earlier than two hours it is very closed and limited so feels like it would be a waste as it's not reached it's full potential.
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Château Musar is a massive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan, and Grenache. It is a deep ruby, almost black in colour. The aroma is rich and intense with aromas of stewed and dry fruits; a savoury, herbal, and cedar bouquet; atop a mildly pungent smell of cured meat, soya sauce, barnyard and leather. The palate equally powerful with hearty texture, abundant yet refined tannins, and a lasting finish of dried fruits and almond paste. Built to last! Should be decanted before serving with a game stew, goulash, or meshoui. Score 92. (S.Segard, reviewed Mar. 02, 2017)
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The nose is dominated by nail polisher remover/marred by V.A. There's an impression of a leaner, almost austere, Bordeaux-like quality underneath, but little of the charming complexity and fruit that I would expect of ( even a painfully) young Musar. I would dismiss it outright if it had a different label, but even if magic happens, I doubt that this will ever be a particularly interesting Musar.
10 vintages of Chateau Musar (@Private location): *** Please see the general tasting story notes for more details *** Glass: Riedel BDX Sommelier Decanted for about 2+ hours. Not rated. Far too young. Heavy, unpolished tannin, fruit juice. Needs at least 7+ years to reach its first peak.
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The color seems rather concentrated with dark, almost black red color showing only very little translucency. There are initial aromas of ripe, sunny fruit and lighter, sweeter VA notes of nail polish on the nose, with more subtle notes of very dark forest berries, some raisined fruit, a little hint of sweet oak spice and a touch of Assam tea. On the palate this full-bodied wine feels very youthful, quite dry and rather fruit-forward with flavors of ripe red berries, exotic spices, some strawberry sweetness, light meaty notes and a hint of savory wood. The typical animal and barnyard notes of Musar are practically nonexistent and even the volatility feels quite restrained. There is a sense of firmness along with good structure resulting from the relatively noticeable tannins and moderately high acidity. The finish is opulent and juicy with ripe, plummy flavors of sunny dark and red fruits, some cassis notes, light Middle Eastern spice hints and a touch of dry, savory wood. The tannins give the sweet, supple finish some positive sense of grip and grit.
Lovely balance, structure and focus here. Although I often enjoy purity of fruit in wines, this vintage of Musar feels remarkably polished and fruit-forward, making me miss some of those more quirky characteristics of some of the older vintages. Overall this is a really juicy and supple red Musar where the warm, sunny growing conditions are very obvious and which is lacking those rustic and funky notes typical of Musar. Nevertheless, the wine shows good aging potential and hopefully it will gain some more complexity and more interesting characteristics with age. Recommended, especially for cellaring.
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Decanted for 4 hours. No detailed notes but this was a very refined and linear Musar with a non-funky nose once it has exited the decanter, alluring clean and precise slightly tarry black and dark red fruit on the nose and palate. Very nice medium length and resonance/reverberance on the finale. Elegant and refined - definitely less feral than I associate, and love, with Musar. The key signature for the moment is the purity of the fruit, which bodes well for its future evolution, which I shall follow with interest as it evolves over the next 7-12 years. A 'dinner surprise' from our host, Nick, who knows of my life-long love affair with Musar.
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Musar Dinner (Tim's, SF): Double-decanted the night before. This was fantastic out of the bottle - ripe black fruit with faint pyrazines (stewed bell pepper). Light brett, light oxidation, and a kiss of new oak. Maybe would blind this as a right-bank Bdx? Pomerol? So good.
At dinner: Ripe fruit - red and black. Feels strong but not overly ripe. Tremendous balance. Still young and primary with juicy fruit, slight amaro and herbal tones. Brett and oxidation are in the background. Pyrazines aren't noticeable at this point. Medium plus body with slightly elevated alcohol, elevated acid, and medium tannins. In the context of Musar styles (bold-classic-beautiful-atypical), this feels like a classic-style Musar, maybe slightly on the bold side. Mid-weight with ripeness but also structure. This is decidedly pre-inflection. As AA remarked, the 2000 Red is a totally different wine. It's constantly surprising that *this* can turn into *that*!
You can drink this now, but you'll be missing out entirely on what this wine can become. Try this again after the inflection point - in 10-15 years. It will be unrecognizable.
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Chateau Musar Dinner (Tim and Elliott's Place, San Francisco): Lovely nose with ripe black and red fruit, youthful and primary; palate is primary, excellent fruit, youthful medium tannins, plenty of sour cherry, fresh medium-plus acid; medium finish. Very nice, balanced, youthful Musar. 91+
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No 12, woody, leafy and savory, and seed(cereal). Cereal and rot leaves. Medium acidity, medium+ alcohol, medium+ firm coating fine tannin, and a hint of vegetal in the finish.
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Medium ruby. Clean nose, pronounced aromas of dark fruit (cassis, blackberries), red fruit (cherry, damson), spice (pepper, liquorice), oak (vanilla, toast), dried fruit (prune, fig), tertiary (earth). The wine is developing. Dry palate, high acidity, medium (+) ripe tannins, medium (+) alcohol (14%), full body, pronounced flavours similar to the nose but the primary fruits dominates. Long finish Outstanding quality, but still very young. Can be drunk now but suitable for further ageing. The wine is still very youthful.
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Tasting note 2,900; as always, showing minerals and tea in the bouquet, followed by a very elegant midtaste and lovely ripe acidity in the aftertaste. This wine never convinces with power, always with persistence.
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Lite parfymerad doft som drar åt nagellack, blint hade mina tankar gått till en enklare Nebbiolo.
I munnen tycker jag att vinet har rätt bra struktur och det känns lite svalare än andra årgångar av Chateau Musar som jag provat. I munnen känner jag mörka bär, kryddor, stall, eftersmaken är kort. Det händer för lite i munnen för att jag ska gå igång på det här vinet. Även om det inte har några direkta fel tycker jag att det är ointressant.
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Elegant, crushed blueberries, chocolate, solvent, raisin, medium tannins, medium acid, slender, some oak. A very good wine, for me a bit to polished. Day 2 some hints of cardamom appeared.
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Very complex palette of fruits, starting with tart red (lingonberries, cranberries) which soon are joined by sweet raspberries and a brief hint of volatile acidity. About an hour after opening, darker fruit makes an entrance, slightly bitter, with plums, sloe and cherries, and the of dried fruit as well, figs and raisins. There's a hard-to-describe spiciness underlying, as well as some funky hints, but this vintage seems to be about fruit in the Musar - without any hints of jamminess, though, and very complex and varying. Young but worked great with a steak.
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Early days. Very closed. Lots of primary fruit. Several hours after the bottle is opened, there's a lot of fruit, herbs and spicy oak influence on the nose, which I like very much. On the palate, this is even more primary. Lots of bitter, almost unripe berries, acidity dominates as for now, but the most interesting thing is how pure the fruit is, i.e. No band-aid or Brett and VA. But then again, this is early days for a ch Musar. Has clear upside, but can't score this higher than 86 today.
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Jag upplever 2009an som Musar i sin stramaste, renaste och striktaste form nästan helt utan brett eller funk. Syrlig röd frukt dominerade med inslag av en del kryddor mm och någon enstaka gång kom en liten liten antydan till brett men inte mer. Det som finns i den är trots allt gott och lovande men tyvärr var min flaska svag och blaskig och lite kort vilket när man läser andras smaknoter låter som det är något som bara berört min flaska.
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Quite light in colour. Nose is great and bordeaux like. All characteristics of a grand bordeaux. But nMore oxidated than i would think after 7 years, dont keep longer. In the palate the wine holds up, staying true to what the nose promises. Rich in acidity and tannins with strong structure and medium body. A very well and sophisticated boordeaux blend from lybia. Not on the full, deep, rich side, but on the tarter, lighter side of a bordeaux (dont mean this negative). A real delight at good value.
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4/22/2024 - njt_232 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking perfectly right now, tannins are now quite mild. Slightly vegetal and musty nose, smooth on delivery. Drink now - will keep, although no real need to wait! Had it against 09 Kanonkop, which was more fruit forward and not quite as sophisticated.
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2/21/2024 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 95 Points
The Wine Society, UK, tasting of Chateau Musar. Wines introduced by owners Gaston and Mark Hochar. Venue: London.
Medium plum colour. The nose is well developed, lovely aromas of blackcurrant and dark berry fruit. Rich palate, well matured and changing in the glass over one hour. Excellent.
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2/3/2024 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
Has aromas of leather, blackberries, minerals, and mint. Its medium bodied spherical black, red and blue fruits palate has lovely depth and finishes mediumish, fresh with some volatile acidity and tapering. 14%. Needs 7-8 hrs aeration. 14%. Drink now with a rare fillet steak or lay down 10-20 years. I don't know if this will make old bones as its a lighter Musar but who knows they age legendarily.
One glass.
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12/7/2023 - StainedGlass Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. Medium bodied with layers of flavors. Plum, red cherry, mushroom, forest soil. Rich with flavor but not extracted 13.5% abv. Young for a Musar but great now and it will continue to improve with age, particularly worth holding if you like tertiary characteristics.
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12/7/2023 - macaujames wrote: 93 Points
92/93. A lightish Musar. 14%. O.375. Drink now or lay down 10-15 years+. Musar always improves!
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9/2/2023 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially:
Deep garnet red with cherry highlights. Nice legs. Full on Musar nose! Full of dried cherry, horsey funk, leather, brown spice, dried rhubarb, red plum, light oak and more. Love it!! Medium bodied, very dry, high acidity, tart fruit, high tannin. Sucks the moisture out of your mouth! Super smooth. Flavours of dried red berries, cedar (almost pine), sweaty leather, cherry pit, slight char and blue plum skins. Finishes long, grippy and uber dry. The tannins coat your entire mouth! 91 to start.
4 hrs later:
Still very funky on the nose with sour cherry, cherry cough candy, wool sock and light fresh tarragon. Sweet fruit entry. Fuller and sweeter on the palate now. Not a funky or feral as it was initially. Smooth, mostly dried and tart red fruits, savoury leather and stewed rhubarb. Knitting together and opening up nicely now. Up to 92 points.
At the 7 hr mark:
Still funky but more integrated with savoury fruit on the nose. Sour and dried cherry, sweaty saddle, cherry cough candy again, shredded bark, wet wool and stone dust on the nose. Very smooth, sweet, savoury and dried red fruit, mostly cherry and cranberry, dusty earth, leather and spice. Long finish, dry, but not as dry as initially, and finishes crisp and clean. 92 points.
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8/18/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
92/93. The cork broke so had to decant this for 7 hrs+. Has typical Musar aromas of earthy funky blackberries, leather, mineral hints, and raspberries. Its medium bodied solid+chunky earthy forest fruits palate has got very nice depth and freshness and ends medium long and fresh with good grip. 14%. I am not sure if 2009 was good in Lebanon. This seems light for a Musar but as always it improves and is always an adventure. Lay down 10-15 years+ or drink now with the 7 hr decant.
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7/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote: 93 Points
Another great bottle. Dried cherry, leather, whiff of anise and cinnamon. Drink now - 2027.
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7/22/2023 - njt_232 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely, classic Musar.
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5/11/2023 - Paul852 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Briefly, this seems to have come on nicely since my last note 10 months ago. Now with a 5 hour decant it's in a pretty good place: classic Musar, well balanced, spice, fruit, acidity. Pairing perfectly with slightly spicy food (butter chicken as it happens). It doesn't yet look like a classic vintage (such as 1999) but it's definitely great value for the ~US$36 that I paid back in 2019!
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4/29/2023 - Harfouch Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely wine. Hidden gem.
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3/11/2023 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2009 in Beqaa began very dry with very little snow or rain until March. Low humidity throughout the season and the first grapes were harvested very early, in the beginning of September. However, right after the beginning of the harvest torrential rains arrived and the remaining grapes managed to collect some of that water. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 14% alcohol, 1,9 g/l residual sugar and 5,7 g/l acidity . Aerated in a decanter for four hours before tasting the wine.
Deep, moderately opaque and slightly evolved blackish-red color. The nose feels ripe, clean and slightly evolved yet not fully mature with aromas of sweet dark berries, some juicy blackcurrant tones, a little bit of new leather, light balsamic notes of VA, a hint of wizened figs and a touch of raisiny dark fruit. The wine feels ripe, juicy and quite sunny on the palate with a full body and succulent flavors of dark plummy fruit and gamey meat, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light leathery nuances, a brambly hint of black raspberries and a balancing touch of sour cherry bitterness. The wine packs quite a bit of structure with its high acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus acidity, but the fruit doesn't have the same intensity as the surrounding vintages 2008 and 2010. The finish is ripe, spicy and moderately grippy with a long, dry-ish aftertaste of dark plummy fruit and ripe black cherry, some leathery tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light notes of tobacco, a hint of ripe red plum and a touch of balsamico.
A tasty and sophisticated but also a somewhat fruity and glossy vintage of Musar. This is instantly recognizable for the house style, but somehow the overall feel is lacking a bit in depth and complexity - at least when comparing to the great vintages. I feel the previous bottle I tasted (in late 2019) felt a bit more evolved and slightly more anonymous compared to this bottle that was drinking pretty much the way I'd expect a Musar to perform at this point. I feel this time this vintage was performing quite similarly to the first bottle I tasted back in early 2017 - only with a bit more evolution and the resulting tertiary dried-fruit flavors. However, while an enjoyable Musar in its own right, I feel this isn't going to be a particularly interesting or long-lived vintage - although I really hope the wine will prove me wrong with further aging. There's still some potential, but the ripe, fruity overall feel reminds me more of the similarly styled 2015 vintage - only with a bit less intensity and a softer structure. Nevertheless, this has been worth its price at 35,70€.
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12/30/2022 - Kernow Somnolentus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Leather, cassis and Christmas spice. Needed decanting for many hours. Top notch.
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9/6/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 91 Points
No barnyard smell here. Tasted better the next day. Still too young. Nice complexity.
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7/6/2022 - Paul852 wrote: 89 Points
Briefly, very clean cork, high fill, decanted for about 5 hours before rebottling to go to the restaurant. But this is clearly not enough air for such a young Musar. The acidity is still moderate+, the fruit has elements of classic Musar, and is a bit more perfumed than the 2008 we drank alongside it, tannins still a little rough round the edges, and the whole thing a bit disjointed.
I would say this needs either a VERY long decant (at least overnight) if you must drink it now, or another 5+ years in the bottle.
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3/3/2022 - phil the agony wrote: 90 Points
Aucune note prise
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1/23/2022 - Per_Anders wrote: flawed
Vinäger
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1/14/2022 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Colour : Dark dullish red-granite in colour. Fine sediment.
Aromas : Stewed sweet red fruits and plums lead and are the primary aromas. Followed by leather, a touch of volatile acidity, and then toss in some anise, and a saline/stoney minerality. Also picking up some provence herbs. Nice complexity here.
Flavours : Stewed red fruits and plums. Also getting cherries and blackberries. Overall a nice rich elegance. There is a moderate tartness to the fruit, makes it feel a bit fresher. Picking up some cedar, anise, and spices. Then a slight bitterness on the finish … berry and black tea leaves.
Mouthfeel : Medium to full bodied, dry with dusty to silty tannins that are prevalent but well integrated. Long finish that leans to a black cherry tea taste (but not sweet, slight bitterness). Fulsome in the mouth but not heavy …. Almost like a cloudy, puffy feeling.
Overall : Wonderful wine. Not that I have had a lot of Musar, but this is one of the better ones. Lingers and coats in the mouth. Nice overall balance, elegant, round.
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9/28/2021 - Winedad53 wrote: 93 Points
Just getting better every year. Loaded with minerality and softening tannins. With touches of cedar and white oak wrapped around a ripe red plum core.
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8/30/2021 - ploher wrote:
Musar Vertical: This is again more in line with the 2006 and shows pure energy on the nose at the moment, obviously incredibly young, embrional really, but man this energy is really something. While young, this shows already a lot of quintessential Musar-characteristics in my opinion. The palate is very structured still and also a bit similar to the 2006 in my opinion. I think this will need a lot of time and shouldn’t be consumed before 2030 at the absolute earliest. Great potential though. 18+/20
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6/7/2021 - Magnusb.eriksson@assaabloy.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Passade mycket bra till chark. Ska serveras svalt. Ganska mycket sötma. Bra att dricka efter 12 år
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5/2/2021 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just a baby, I know, but then again why not?!? Decanted but very little sediment. Medium dark, full ruby red, but no signs of garnet or bricking. Classic Musar nose of sweet red fruits (macerated cherry, red plum, mulberry), leather, merde, funk, sweat, some VA, cedar, aniseed and surprisingly some minerality at the very end. Very complex nose! Totally in your face, but I love it! Medium bodied, dry, tart red fruits, soft but abundant tannins, and perfectly balanced from front to back. The linear balance is quite striking; not overpowering or hollow anywhere, just steady. Hard to describe. The flavours are tart red fruits, cedary dryness and texture, some funk, dried herbs, licorice with a tangy fruit finish that lingers effortlessly and then leaves a fine coating of tingly tannins on the roof of your mouth. Not yet profound (like the 2002) but complex, unique and distinctive! Has everything going on that I love about Musar!
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4/9/2021 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for almost 2 hours. Mmmm, delicious! The nose shows wonderful aromas of red cherries with a hint of VA, lilac and maybe blueberry. The palate is young, lots of fruit, red berries, good tannins, touch of bitter dark chocolate. Delicious, but definitely needs e.g. grilled foods to go with. Lots of potential here, this will be even better in a few years.
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4/4/2021 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nose- very Bordeaux. Ash, kindling, cedar, apple chips, black cherry ice cream, and lemongrass. Saturating, black pepper and mesquite up front. The tannins are present but tame, mixing nicely with the acid. Long finish. This Musar is ready to drink.
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3/9/2021 - evold89 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Slight "acetone" and "nail polish" aromas as noted below. Allow a minimum 1 hour slow ox. I had it over 12 hours with some positive development.
Smoke, leather, tobacco and stable mix with red fruit (raspberry) and some darker fruits (cassis).
Similar notes on the palate, but some spices as well. Still some tannins that give a certain structure. Semi-long finish. Might benefit some additional cellaring.
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3/7/2021 - Winedad53 wrote: 91 Points
Always great to revisit this old-world style wine, the 2009 has settled in nicely for the long haul. Just coming into balance, showing array of ripe red and black currants, cedar, and a good dose of minerality. Will continue to evolve and drink well over next 10 years.
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2/17/2021 - colmanstephenson Likes this wine:
Upon opening young Musar (2009 is young) emits "acetone" and "nail polish" aromas. Best to decant for several hours. This one was left over night. The acetone gives way to a panoply of white fruit (peaches) and red fruit (raspberry) scents.
Ethereal aromas prefigure a surprisingly Robust body with drying tannin. Flavours of red fruit but also spices and aniseed.
In the mouth something else happens. Its tannic and structured (another reason for a long decant) but those aromas create multi-flavours on top. Its all going on.
Long finish.
This is burgundy on a foundation of Bordeaux, with a dash of Alsace. But actually entirely its own thing.
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1/31/2021 - nicholas.stryland@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed about 45 minutes to decant. Beautiful and delicate. Deep garnet colour, with aromas of leather, oak, red fruit, black current, and vanilla.
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1/7/2021 - tunaguy Likes this wine: 91 Points
very youthful still at 11 years old. an array of darker fruit, leather, and cedar notes, with a touch of balsamic. no harm in opening this now but the best days are 5+ years down the road
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11/23/2020 - Loathesome Likes this wine: 90 Points
I always feel Musar needs a minimum 10 years to show itself. There was no discolouration here and the overall feel was slightly tight and a young but typical spicy, raisiny Musar. I think it is all there but will need another 2-3 years to really get interesting.
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10/17/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Usually I compare this to Bordeaux. The first night, this was more like aged Brunello di Montalcino. Savory smell. Plum. Mint. Eucalyptus. Olives. Game. Sweet finish. Funk. The second night, this was like 20 year old Bordeaux.
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10/7/2020 - MalcolmV Likes this wine:
Chateau Musar Tasting with Jane Sowter and the Dulwich Wine Society: My favourite wine of the night.
Concentrated. Savoury and herbal. Bay leaf and balsamic, with cloves bacon and orange peel. So good!
Q: 4/4
P: 2/3
X: 3/3
Total 9/10
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9/19/2020 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 89 Points
Opened very reserved. Possibly the least giving Musar I've ever had. There was some dark chocolate and oregano eventually and it became more herbal as we drank it. Never even paired that well with a wide range of lebanese plates. Maybe it needs a few years.
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8/23/2020 - asheio wrote: 91 Points
Very classic Musar. Seamless, quite complex and smooth, with the normal sightly volatile acidity.
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7/31/2020 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 2h prior. A sound cork but extracted with care. Good, deep colour but not opaque. The nose showed more juicy acidity (orange citrus) than usual and the wine seemed a little 'unsettled' after decanting. However, given a couple of hours, it began to show its true character. A complex nose, good (mainly red cherry but with hints of redcurrant) fruit but the acidity remained prominent. Given time, the cherry morphed into Maraschino and the palate became richer. I enjoyed this, especially with food later, but I think it is too young at this stage. A wine to keep for the future, I think. 90+
24h later, the youthful, juicy acidity persisted but the wine was richer, more complex, and still very, very long. I picked up just a hint of the 'burnt rubber' mentioned by Nutty08 on the late palate - a first for me with Musar. It will be interesting to see how the balance changes as it matures. Will the acidity mellow or begin to mask the fruit?
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7/29/2020 - dnnk88 wrote: 90 Points
Wine Wednesdays!: This bottle was in a good place today.
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4/13/2020 - nmichaud1 Likes this wine:
Le vin a besoin de beaucoup d’air afin qu’il s’offre complètement. C’est très bien comme 2eme expérience avec le vin. Il y a de bon tannins et une bonne structure et vraiment très difficile à trouver à l’aveugle.
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4/4/2020 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the lighter end of medium bodied. Aromas showing red berry fruits and cassis with hints of cedar, acetone, earthiness. Nice complexity. On the flavours, see above and toss in a decent freshness to the fruit, grainy to softer tannins, and a hint of greenness. Seems a bit different …. softer/more mellow then most Musar. That hint of reduction and acetone is there. I did enjoy the wine. Good balance …. wonder what another 5 years will bring with my last bottle.
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3/22/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wet interesting wine. Red fruited. Quite bright and narrow on the palate—almost crisp. Has a bit of burnt rubber/reduction on the nose. Chalky mineral finish. Probably best to hold this is a bit further.
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3/15/2020 - Murphy6000 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Fruity, med-light body, red fruits dominant (red currant/cherry?), hint of acetone. Needs longer in the cellar.
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3/13/2020 - sb_guido wrote: 89 Points
Not my best bottle. Not flawed, just showing little expression.
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2/29/2020 - jhw425 wrote: 89 Points
Not a very good tasting but not my favorite musar. Maybe too young?
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1/3/2020 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Très bien encore. Beau vin qui fait changement. Je ne dirais pas un QPR, mais ca reste un bel achat de temps en temps.
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12/23/2019 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Looks like cherry juice. Funky. Complex.
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12/21/2019 - Hansvo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank it next to the 2000 though, which was generally preferred. No rush to drink those Musars!
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12/1/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 92 Points
As always, this is one of the best QPR in the world...if you enjoy "old style/old world" wines. The coulour is of medium intensity, with a typical Musar nose of sweet tobacco, cedar, stewed straberries and a slight touch of barnyard. The finish is very long and the overall palate is very well balanced. Always one of my favourite wines, especially for $59! Enjoy now or cellar for another 10 years.
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11/21/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted after the 2008. Dark, concentrated, spicy, notes of tobacco, smoke, cedar. Very dense but well balanced, great acidity, well integrated tannins. Youthful, but approachable. Very long. Lovely. 92-94
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11/11/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
At Tastings in Indy. The best I’ve had so far tonight, although this is more dry and austere than I prefer. Soft cedar perfume nose, the palate is dry red fruit, some earthy cedar notes, and a long acid berry finish. Great with my cheese plate.
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10/25/2019 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2009 in Beqaa began very dry with very little snow or rain until March. Low humidity throughout the season and the first grapes were harvested very early, in the beginning of September. However, right after the beginning of the harvest torrential rains arrived and the remaining grapes managed to collect some of that water. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 14% alcohol. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.
Brooding and somewhat translucent black cherry color with a hint of youthful blue. Very ripe and sweet-toned nose with rich aromas of licorice, wizened raspberries, some smoky tones, a little bit of sweet balsamic VA, light plummy tones, a hint of savory exotic spices and a touch of raisin. The wine is ripe, full-bodied and quite dense on the palate with somewhat dry, fruit-forward flavors of ripe cranberries, succulent red plums, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of balsamic VA, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a hint of raisin and a touch of new leather. The wine feels very balanced, but the structure seems to rely a bit more on the moderately high acidity than on the ripe medium-plus tannins. The finish is ripe, somewhat grippy and enjoyably textural with savory flavors of dry leather, exotic spices, some wizened dark plums, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light boysenberry tones, a spicy hint of turmeric and a sweet, volatile touch of balsamico.
A pleasant, ripe and juicy vintage of Musar, but in comparison to the surrounding vintages, this seems a bit softer and supple in style and with less character and funk. It's a nice wine on its own, but perhaps lacking the thrill one looks for in a good Musar. It's hard to say whether this is a faster-maturing vintage or one that actually requires more age to start showing its best. However, I'm not that convinced anymore that this is going to be a particularly memorable vintage of Musar as it ages. On the contrary, I'm getting a feeling that this is more like a vintage one can safely skip over. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 35,70€.
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8/30/2019 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Very opaque purple plum fading to red plum at the rim. Very Musar nose of ripe, tart and dried red berries, some horseiness in the background, leather, game meat, camphor, licorice, spice and more. Perhaps a trace of VA to add to the complexity. Very smooth entry. Lots of red licorice, tart red berries that come across as a combination of dried and sweet, sour cherry, leather and pine tar. Medium full bodied. Tight acidity. Chalky tannins. Long, mouth watering finish. Very dry. Still needs more time to mellow out and improve. So different from anything else out there. Not the ripest or sweetest Musar but still very good. I have to say I really like this wine!
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6/4/2019 - werner wrote: 90 Points
Great Musar in a great place, 1-2 hours in decanter brings it all out.
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3/13/2019 - diggydan wrote: flawed
Corked POS
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1/27/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 89 Points
WX+ 'X9 Blind Cabernet Sauvignon Meetup (My House - Hanover Park, IL): Didn't have the elegance or length of the rest of the pack tonight. Nice straight forward darker red fruit with a good dose of spice. Some austerity. The finish just wasn't there. Fine but I've had better Musar.
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1/3/2019 - Poussin wrote: 90 Points
This shows bold aromas of violets, dark fruits and liquorice all-sorts which knit together to form a rather compelling whole. I didn’t notice any brett or funk. The wine is very primary right now and feels just slightly disjointed on the palate. Fruit, tannins and minerality are present, and with time they should settle and integrate. I’d hold this for a few more years.
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12/8/2018 - hanskris Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mørke bær, hint av krydder, rose og trøffel på lukt. Fyldig og myk i munnen smak av mørke bær. Lang med treverk og et lite tanninbitt i avslutningen. Nydelig til entrecote med pommes. Ikke noe særlig utvikling med luft.
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11/11/2018 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 93 Points
Musars in Rumney with Tim et al. (The Little House Inn, Rumney NH): Vibrant red fruit - almost crunchy pomegranate. Popped and poured. Tasted against the ’07 with consistent notes as in 2016 - the ’09 is more primary, youthful, and intensely fruited. The ’07 more developed, mushroomy, tertiary.
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11/6/2018 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 94 Points
In Wakefield with CJS et al.
Opened (no decant) in the morning ~12 hrs before. It was awesome out of the bottle and improved with time.
Deep and Rich. The nose is phenomenally complex, especially surprising given this is pretty young still. Orange peel, pomegranate, fig skin. Amaro, homemade Maraschino cherry. Long evolving finish. Satiny tannins - still medium plus. So persistent on the palate!
This is in a great spot, even though it's pre-inflection. I can't recall a better showing of a young vintage - maybe the 2004 was comparable?
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10/7/2018 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Half bottle. Decanted and left for 5h after which time spice and eucalyptus began to develop on the nose. Good colour. The palate was lighter than most mature vintages of Musar at this stage but showed cherry and orange citrus flavours with good and long citrus acidity. Early fine-grained tannins had softened.
After 6 hours, it was richer, softer, and beginning to develop more depth of flavour.
7 Hours after decanting, with food (roast beef), the wine came alive.
At this young age, it would not be a restaurant choice for me unless it can be opened well in advance. 90+ at this stage but this will rise with the years.
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9/23/2018 - Avicenne Likes this wine: 92 Points
SAQ N° 13393000 54$
Beaucoup plus fruité et vivant que le 2001 AMHA.
Eucalyptus, orange amère, menthe, thym.
Moins acide également et longueur un peu plus intéressante.
Bref, moins de tertiaire, un peu plus vivant.
***
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9/21/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 87 Points
Bought this off a restaurant wine list that had some appealing wines at pornographic prices. This seemed the fairest value, at approximately 2x retail price. Sidebar conversation: when did 3x become the new 2x? Anyway, I was dining with friends, so I'll blame the paucity of detailed descriptors below on the attention demanded by good company and conversation.
Light crimson color. Warm, dense nose of cedar wood, blackberry jam, and mint leaf. The palate by contrast is lean and elegant, with light red fruit flavors balanced by fine acidity. The only major disappointment is that this finishes somewhat weakly.
Overall, this is nice wine in an absolute sense, but far from the best that Chateau Musar can produce. Always fun to play "where is this wine from" with people who don't know the house. This bottle might have prompted guesses of Brunello di Montalcino or Barbaresco.
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8/14/2018 - cos65 wrote:
Served blind.
Medium clear ruby with barely a hint of orange at rim. Light fruity acidity.
I actually guessed cinsault from Lebanon, but
not Ch Musar as it seemed a bit thin at first look.
With 45 minutes this opens up quite nicely to a fairly elegant (13.5%) red blend. Nice and worth a try
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8/6/2018 - colmanstephenson Likes this wine:
Drunk at Niamh's 50th birthday dinner at Temple House in Sligo along with some 2006.
Very happy with how this is showing, but no analysis done at the time.
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7/12/2018 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Excellent ! Beaucoup plus en santé que la dernière qui enétait imbuvable par plusieurs défauts.
4/5
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7/11/2018 - Winedad53 wrote: 91 Points
Knew I was robbing the cradle but had to drink a bottle with tomahawk ribeye my older son grilled. Dark and brooding, nose of black plum, coal and spice intense after full hour decant, this wine has considerably more to give in drink window of 2021-2035. Long and deep, intensifying finish shows that tannins need to integrate a bit more, but will reward patience.
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6/16/2018 - gusmansur Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious! I know still too young and can improve a lot of years. But after 40 minutes on decanter was enough to create balance and show all potential from the Chateau Musar.
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6/14/2018 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Chateau Musar tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Medium youthful ruby; aromatic, slight sweet pepper, slight savory with soy; palate is medium bodied, medium length with mulled cherries, more savory on the palate than the nose; nice medium-long finish. Wonderful wine, still early in its development. Lovely, but I still will wait a few years on my bottles. 91+
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5/18/2018 - jeppejeppe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Never had a Musar this young but I liked the power it had. No sediment at all.
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5/7/2018 - MSheridan Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a half bottle.
PnP: bramble fruits. This has a nice richness to it and surprisingly less Musar ‘funk’ characteristics.
Left for a couple of hours and acidity is showing more. A touch of sharper red fruit is now evidentent along with the darker fruit and there is a tad funkiness to the wine.
Paired very well with Moroccan bbq leg of lamb and sides. Ready to drink now if you were to like this primary stage to the wine but as we all know this’ll go on for many more years yet.
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4/28/2018 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Wine on Wheels Tasting (City Winery, NYC): I was really excited to see one of my favorite wines here at this tasting. Earthy and spicy and savory aromas. Spicy palate with crisp acid, dusty tannins, lots of herbs and pepper to accent the tart cherry and currant fruit. Long time ahead here, but a lovely Musar.
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4/24/2018 - jeroenpieter wrote:
Nog nooit een rode wijn geopend waarbij de kurk spontaan, bijna als een champagne er uit plopte . Daarna gedecanteerd. Heb al vele 1999 Musar uit mijn kelder geproefd. Groot jaar. Maar nu even niet blijkbaar. Wel de karakteristieken. Maar dun, geen body, geen afdronk.
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4/23/2018 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #283: A mixed set (@ DJ): Special and beautiful, expressive and complex bouquet with coffee and chocolate. On the palate a full bodied wine with lead pencil, dark berries, chocolate and good, fresh acidity. 90+
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4/22/2018 - pren wrote: 90 Points
LD。颜色稍深。不错的浓度。relaxed，poised。回味较长。
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4/8/2018 - Rupert wrote:
This was like the 04, full and fruity, clean for a Musar, quite elegant
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4/8/2018 - Rupert wrote:
Next to the 08, this was fatter, easier, more port-like, less elegant
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3/24/2018 - mrmikemtr wrote: 91 Points
Needs a good 3 hour decant. Mind the drink dates!
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2/27/2018 - diggydan wrote: 94 Points
Unique! Massive nose of baked red fruits and a sharp, bright and sweet smell that is pretty indescribable but makes me think of paint. The palate is big, warm, and spicy, loaded with sweet baked fruit. Round mouthfeel but balanced with lively acidity.
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2/15/2018 - mike410 Does not like this wine: 77 Points
Brutal wine. Tasted from 2 bottles. Austere even after 2 hour of decant on one of the bottles. Overrated. Both bottles tasted ozydized, not a surprise from Musar style.
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2/13/2018 - adnorthup wrote: 91 Points
Drinking super young. Classic musar flavors at this point after a 90 minute decant. Going to be delicious going forward.
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1/2/2018 - Rupert wrote: 89 Points
From a half: restrained and, for a Musar, clean; fruit cake richness, vg
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12/2/2017 - StainedGlass Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and decant at the Pass in Houston. A baby by Musar standards but drinking well even at a young age. Medium to dark red color with layers of reddish fruits predominating. Always earthy with just a touch of baryard. Medium plus dry tannins. It has the power, but is less masculine and more elegant than many Bordeux style belnds. Musar is alway interesting to me but this vintage too will improve significantly over the years. One of my favorite wines.
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11/26/2017 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Le 2009 est mon second favori des 3 millésimes sortis cette année à la SAQ. Moins éclatant et beaucoup plus jeune que le 2004, tout de même c'est super bon et la carafe de 5h l'a énormément aidé. Le vin est encore clair, acide, sur le fruit croquant et les épices. J'acheterai toujours du Musar de temps en temps, c'est très différent.
4/5
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11/26/2017 - nmichaud1 Likes this wine:
À l’aveugle, le nez est très intriguant et surtout intéressant. Une couleur rouge foncé, en bouche les tannins sont légers, le vin éclate en bouche et la longueur est forte intéressante. Je suis un peu déstabilisé et je vais par élimination sans mettre le doigt sur la région final. Surprise, c’est un Musar et c’est vraiment bon! Deuxieme expérience avec un vin de Musar et encore beaucoup de plaisir à le boire!
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11/25/2017 - Etienne U3R Likes this wine:
À l'aveugle, clairement quelque chose que je n'avais jamais bu. Ça aurait pu être un Bordeaux blend mais sans parier la dessus. Tannins moyens, belle longueur. A été carafé 5h et ce n'est pas trop. Pour le prix c'est vrm exceptionnel c'est un must à avoir dans sa cave.
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11/24/2017 - mrmikemtr Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bit pricey but I echo other comments. I'd decant 30-60 minutes before drinking. This might have further potential of 2-3 years. Different for sure.
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11/24/2017 - Ian S wrote:
Drinking well at the moment from half bottles, youthful, but distinctively Musar. They'll cellar well, but a challenge to stop opening them
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11/16/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote:
Wines of Lebanon (SF): Structured like a Left Bank Cab. Some Brett, new oak, pyrazines and some black fruit but it's reticent. I think this is starting its inflection. Need to wait for it to become truly tertiary! Great structure.
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11/14/2017 - GTFreek wrote:
Blend of Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet. Cool nose, medium plus, floral, dark red fruit, dried red plum, herbal, mint, fresh earth. Palate is young, very dry, nice earth notes, dried fruits, several unique layers, complexity excellent, meaty, light spice, dry finish. Integration very good. Probably would hold because it can, but very good to drink now as well.
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10/1/2017 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
Sunfish Cellars and Korean food with Charles (Sunfish Cellars / Hoban): Drank a small pour at a tasting. This reminds me of a very rustic Bordeaux. Quite enjoyable, but I don't think I'll be buying any at market rate.
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9/30/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Sunfish Cellars Fall Tasting (Sunfish Cellars, St. Paul, MN): TAsting pour. Very dark red color, wood, red fruits, dill, earthy, firm but nice tannins, austere. 90+pts.
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9/30/2017 - PLC Likes this wine:
At first the aroma is dominated by tea with a hint of mint. After the wine gets some air the smell turns earthy and meaty, with fruity aromas in the background. Some more air and the sensations change again and becomes more subtle. In the mouth the wine is soft and smooth, with well balanced acidity and tannins. The finishing is at first a bit too rough and dry and the aftertaste less rich and long than expected. But both improve with time and overall the wine turns out to be very interesting and fascinating.
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9/23/2017 - MWiking wrote: 88 Points
Alltid kul att prova musar även om det inte riktigt är min stil
Väldigt robust men lantliga toner, läder och mörk frukt och en angenäm syrlig ton som får vinet att lätta upp lite. Trevligt
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9/16/2017 - rayq wrote: 91 Points
(from 375ml) Unusually clean and fault free Musar. Drinking nicely right now though a touch short and dry on the finish. Will probably reward keeping. Perhaps those divisive Musar characteristics will emerge?
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8/25/2017 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 86 Points
10 months on from my last tasting, no further development, nor over three nights. The concern is that there is no discernible glimpse of Musar characteristics. For me this remains a puzzle or a disappointment.
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8/13/2017 - fedro Likes this wine: 90 Points
Primary and powerful, full at the forefront, with spices and leather that show up after an hour or so. Decant if drinking now, but even better to wait. This was from a .375 bottle, so would imagine that full bottles are even further behind in terms of development. 90+?
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8/4/2017 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fully ripe black cherry colour. Medium full bodied. Cool lifted nose of sweaty saddle, horse, merde, vague red and purple fruit. No VA (yet). Still very young and primary taste of sweet and sour cherry, red currant, black currant pastille. Very smooth with a slight sour tang on the clean yet quite long finish. Smells much funkier than it tastes. Delicious and intriguing wine!
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8/1/2017 - AusX1n Likes this wine: 94 Points
Initial nose was minty but quickly blew off within minutes. Starts in the mouth with med high acidity and dark fruit with back tannins, forming a high intensity impact. It then smooths out to cab franc herbaceousness and finishes long and light, tartness. Over the evening pleasant barnyard developed on the nose. This was my first Musar and will be one of many, God willing.
Tasted at Tabule Restaurant in Toronto with GrapeNuts
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7/31/2017 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 90 Points
Red fruit, dark fruit, tea leaves. Has some years to go, and it's going to get awesome.
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7/21/2017 - Ian S wrote:
From a half bottle.
Youthful colour with no hint of age yet. The nose shows leafy/minty Cabernet Sauvignon to the fore, but backed by some fig. Not obviously a Musar. Swirling reveals some leather and a hint of camphor.
The palate follows through similarly, being quite tight & clean, with dark fruit restrained by the grip from moderate but persistent tannins and assertive acidity.
Structurally this seems to have great potential, though best to leave them alone for a few years.
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6/24/2017 - FjordogFjell wrote: 89 Points
Til entrecote. Nype, fyldig fløyelsmyk og fin, lett fast ettersmak :-D Deilig til kjøtt, men kanskje litt søt. 1 dag i flaske: Friskere i dag
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6/19/2017 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 90 Points
It's always interesting to taste Musar as the vintages and bottles vary so much. At 8 years old, this had a dusty garnet colour; the nose showed rich forest fruits. Like most Musars, it needs food. Very good overall.
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6/17/2017 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 30 mins. This is really primary now, juicy red cranberries, with a bit of barnyard on the nose. The palate is all red crunchy fruit now with tons of tannins. I think this has a lot of potential, wait for another 5 years for the next one!
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6/9/2017 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Kirsebær med et ørlite malingpreg og noe rosiner, men overhode ikke skjemmende. Frisk i anslaget i munnen, før fruktfylden overtar. Rundt og kraftig, med en litt sursøt finish. Myke tanniner, som nok med fordel kunne vært stramma litt opp. Svært god vin som er så vidt på den varme siden for vår smak. Kanskje går det seg til med alder, for vinen virker svært ung nå.
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6/5/2017 - Lukeybells Likes this wine: 89 Points
So young! Like a petulant teenager, angry, brash and underdeveloped but with loads of potential for the future. Another 3-5 at least for all of the classic Musar attributes to meld more pleasingly together.
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5/27/2017 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 91 Points
2009 Ch. Musar. Dyp rubinrød med oransje kant. Blåbær og bjørnebær, spice og noe tobakk på nese. Følger opp i munn, men frukten er mere ripsaktig og elegant. Tanninene er modne, men mange; bra fast og friskt grep. Lang. Dette er nok på topp 2 over mine smakte Musarårganger. Meget godt kjellerpotensial. 91
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4/25/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 94 Points
Broadbent Portfolio (Flatiron, SF): Coravined a day ago.
Medium ruby in the glass, no hint of color variation.
Pronounced nose. Distinctive black fruit - blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, all rolled into one. It's primary, but somehow wiser and more melded with the savory secondaries than pretty much any other young wine (ok, I guess this is 8 years old... but it's a current release!).
Classic Musarian secondaries of dog fur (brett), anise, slight oak spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, tamari, bruised apple (acetaldehyde), slight balsamic (acetic acid), leather, tobacco, dried flowers, and fresh flowers.
There's a ripe peach note that's super interesting as well.
Dry, medium plus body, medium plus acid, medium plus tannins. Finish for days.
Conclusions: This is a totally classic and utterly delicious. Pre-inflection, so still primary. It will transform totally in 5-10 years.
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4/20/2017 - Mazy Likes this wine: 87 Points
Le 1999 était à mon avis très évolué et tertiaire, sans oxydation toutefois. Une robe claire, des notes de pruneaux et de fleurs séchées avec du cuir, un nez légèrement fermier et une finale chaude.
Le 2004 a été le préféré de tous. On a aimé son équilibre, avec plus de fruits et d'épices que le 1999 mais plus ouvert que le 2009. Les tannins sont présents mais agréables. Celui qui soutenait le mieux le repas également.
Le 2009 démontre une robe plus foncée et légèrement turbide. Il s'ouvre légèrement en cours de dégustation mais demeure malgré tout secret. Ça nécessite sans aucun doute quelques années en cave.
Les vins ont été ouverts une heure à l'avance, puis décantés et remis en bouteille tout-de-suite, puis servis immédiatement.
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4/16/2017 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
An easy 90 points, leaning towards more. Very clean and straightforward wine - showing well composed elements of stones, ash, dry earth, hints of berries and a touch of cellar. Easy drinking and we'll composed for a meal or on its own. Can certainly see this evolving with age, approachable now.
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4/14/2017 - SaraFisher1989 Likes this wine: 90 Points
We think this wine needs to be decanted at least two hours, if not two and a half hours, prior to drinking. After this time, the wine is smooth and round with hints of caramelised flavours. Very pleasant and is only improved with food such as beef or lamb. If you try to drink the wine earlier than two hours it is very closed and limited so feels like it would be a waste as it's not reached it's full potential.
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3/31/2017 - Crownguard wrote: 92 Points
Thick dense red dense red fruits.
Powerfull and supert bitternes combined with black and red fruits in a velvety way. Good oak.
This is one of my best reds. Cheap and excelent.
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3/2/2017 - Pegasys wrote: 92 Points
Château Musar is a massive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan, and Grenache. It is a deep ruby, almost black in colour. The aroma is rich and intense with aromas of stewed and dry fruits; a savoury, herbal, and cedar bouquet; atop a mildly pungent smell of cured meat, soya sauce, barnyard and leather. The palate equally powerful with hearty texture, abundant yet refined tannins, and a lasting finish of dried fruits and almond paste. Built to last! Should be decanted before serving with a game stew, goulash, or meshoui. Score 92. (S.Segard, reviewed Mar. 02, 2017)
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2/25/2017 - EirikM wrote: 87 Points
The nose is dominated by nail polisher remover/marred by V.A. There's an impression of a leaner, almost austere, Bordeaux-like quality underneath, but little of the charming complexity and fruit that I would expect of ( even a painfully) young Musar. I would dismiss it outright if it had a different label, but even if magic happens, I doubt that this will ever be a particularly interesting Musar.
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2/24/2017 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote:
10 vintages of Chateau Musar (@Private location): *** Please see the general tasting story notes for more details ***
Glass: Riedel BDX Sommelier
Decanted for about 2+ hours.
Not rated. Far too young. Heavy, unpolished tannin, fruit juice. Needs at least 7+ years to reach its first peak.
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1/20/2017 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
The color seems rather concentrated with dark, almost black red color showing only very little translucency. There are initial aromas of ripe, sunny fruit and lighter, sweeter VA notes of nail polish on the nose, with more subtle notes of very dark forest berries, some raisined fruit, a little hint of sweet oak spice and a touch of Assam tea. On the palate this full-bodied wine feels very youthful, quite dry and rather fruit-forward with flavors of ripe red berries, exotic spices, some strawberry sweetness, light meaty notes and a hint of savory wood. The typical animal and barnyard notes of Musar are practically nonexistent and even the volatility feels quite restrained. There is a sense of firmness along with good structure resulting from the relatively noticeable tannins and moderately high acidity. The finish is opulent and juicy with ripe, plummy flavors of sunny dark and red fruits, some cassis notes, light Middle Eastern spice hints and a touch of dry, savory wood. The tannins give the sweet, supple finish some positive sense of grip and grit.
Lovely balance, structure and focus here. Although I often enjoy purity of fruit in wines, this vintage of Musar feels remarkably polished and fruit-forward, making me miss some of those more quirky characteristics of some of the older vintages. Overall this is a really juicy and supple red Musar where the warm, sunny growing conditions are very obvious and which is lacking those rustic and funky notes typical of Musar. Nevertheless, the wine shows good aging potential and hopefully it will gain some more complexity and more interesting characteristics with age. Recommended, especially for cellaring.
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1/1/2017 - MikeFranklin Likes this wine: 88 Points
Lovely. Fruity and peppery. Deep full bodied.
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12/31/2016 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. No detailed notes but this was a very refined and linear Musar with a non-funky nose once it has exited the decanter, alluring clean and precise slightly tarry black and dark red fruit on the nose and palate. Very nice medium length and resonance/reverberance on the finale. Elegant and refined - definitely less feral than I associate, and love, with Musar. The key signature for the moment is the purity of the fruit, which bodes well for its future evolution, which I shall follow with interest as it evolves over the next 7-12 years. A 'dinner surprise' from our host, Nick, who knows of my life-long love affair with Musar.
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12/15/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 92 Points
Musar Dinner (Tim's, SF): Double-decanted the night before.
This was fantastic out of the bottle - ripe black fruit with faint pyrazines (stewed bell pepper). Light brett, light oxidation, and a kiss of new oak. Maybe would blind this as a right-bank Bdx? Pomerol? So good.
At dinner:
Ripe fruit - red and black. Feels strong but not overly ripe. Tremendous balance. Still young and primary with juicy fruit, slight amaro and herbal tones. Brett and oxidation are in the background. Pyrazines aren't noticeable at this point.
Medium plus body with slightly elevated alcohol, elevated acid, and medium tannins.
In the context of Musar styles (bold-classic-beautiful-atypical), this feels like a classic-style Musar, maybe slightly on the bold side. Mid-weight with ripeness but also structure.
This is decidedly pre-inflection. As AA remarked, the 2000 Red is a totally different wine. It's constantly surprising that *this* can turn into *that*!
You can drink this now, but you'll be missing out entirely on what this wine can become. Try this again after the inflection point - in 10-15 years. It will be unrecognizable.
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12/15/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Chateau Musar Dinner (Tim and Elliott's Place, San Francisco): Lovely nose with ripe black and red fruit, youthful and primary; palate is primary, excellent fruit, youthful medium tannins, plenty of sour cherry, fresh medium-plus acid; medium finish. Very nice, balanced, youthful Musar. 91+
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12/10/2016 - pipetree Does not like this wine:
No 12, woody, leafy and savory, and seed(cereal). Cereal and rot leaves. Medium acidity, medium+ alcohol, medium+ firm coating fine tannin, and a hint of vegetal in the finish.
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12/4/2016 - Andrewbdc wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby. Clean nose, pronounced aromas of dark fruit (cassis, blackberries), red fruit (cherry, damson), spice (pepper, liquorice), oak (vanilla, toast), dried fruit (prune, fig), tertiary (earth). The wine is developing. Dry palate, high acidity, medium (+) ripe tannins, medium (+) alcohol (14%), full body, pronounced flavours similar to the nose but the primary fruits dominates. Long finish
Outstanding quality, but still very young. Can be drunk now but suitable for further ageing. The wine is still very youthful.
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11/30/2016 - FransS wrote: 90 Points
Still young, the bouquet is still a bit closed; the wine is very concentrated and has a lot in reserve.
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11/13/2016 - FransS wrote: 91 Points
Tasting note 2,900; as always, showing minerals and tea in the bouquet, followed by a very elegant midtaste and lovely ripe acidity in the aftertaste.
This wine never convinces with power, always with persistence.
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10/29/2016 - Elvis1969 wrote: 84 Points
Lite parfymerad doft som drar åt nagellack, blint hade mina tankar gått till en enklare Nebbiolo.
I munnen tycker jag att vinet har rätt bra struktur och det känns lite svalare än andra årgångar av Chateau Musar som jag provat. I munnen känner jag mörka bär, kryddor, stall, eftersmaken är kort. Det händer för lite i munnen för att jag ska gå igång på det här vinet. Även om det inte har några direkta fel tycker jag att det är ointressant.
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10/22/2016 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 86 Points
Sealed and finished over a week. This is a significant way from maturity. In reality a waste to drink Musar this young. 86 for now.
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10/21/2016 - thunberg wrote: 89 Points
Elegant, crushed blueberries, chocolate, solvent, raisin, medium tannins, medium acid, slender, some oak. A very good wine, for me a bit to polished. Day 2 some hints of cardamom appeared.
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10/14/2016 - Lype Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still young and tannic, tight but promising, Should be great in 5+ years.
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10/8/2016 - Gece wrote: 92 Points
Very complex palette of fruits, starting with tart red (lingonberries, cranberries) which soon are joined by sweet raspberries and a brief hint of volatile acidity. About an hour after opening, darker fruit makes an entrance, slightly bitter, with plums, sloe and cherries, and the of dried fruit as well, figs and raisins. There's a hard-to-describe spiciness underlying, as well as some funky hints, but this vintage seems to be about fruit in the Musar - without any hints of jamminess, though, and very complex and varying. Young but worked great with a steak.
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10/8/2016 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 86 Points
Early days. Very closed. Lots of primary fruit. Several hours after the bottle is opened, there's a lot of fruit, herbs and spicy oak influence on the nose, which I like very much. On the palate, this is even more primary. Lots of bitter, almost unripe berries, acidity dominates as for now, but the most interesting thing is how pure the fruit is, i.e. No band-aid or Brett and VA. But then again, this is early days for a ch Musar. Has clear upside, but can't score this higher than 86 today.
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10/3/2016 - Zorg wrote:
Jag upplever 2009an som Musar i sin stramaste, renaste och striktaste form nästan helt utan brett eller funk. Syrlig röd frukt dominerade med inslag av en del kryddor mm och någon enstaka gång kom en liten liten antydan till brett men inte mer. Det som finns i den är trots allt gott och lovande men tyvärr var min flaska svag och blaskig och lite kort vilket när man läser andras smaknoter låter som det är något som bara berört min flaska.
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8/25/2016 - dissler Likes this wine: 95 Points
Quite light in colour. Nose is great and bordeaux like. All characteristics of a grand bordeaux. But nMore oxidated than i would think after 7 years, dont keep longer. In the palate the wine holds up, staying true to what the nose promises. Rich in acidity and tannins with strong structure and medium body. A very well and sophisticated boordeaux blend from lybia. Not on the full, deep, rich side, but on the tarter, lighter side of a bordeaux (dont mean this negative). A real delight at good value.
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8/19/2016 - MSheridan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Half bottle double decanted. Left in glass for 1hr before trying. Deep, ripe fruit. Nice length & acidity. Early days - give it some time.
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5/5/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Quite cool on the nose, dark, ripe fruit, notes of eucalyptus, mint, spices. Fresh, mineral, grippy finish. Long. Very young. 91-92+
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5/1/2016 - bravo.solares wrote: 89 Points
A bit too young - something particularly evident on the palate. Still somewhat primary. I would cellar for at least 3-4 more years and revisit then.
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