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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 882 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by johnrm on 3/31/2024 & rated 94 points: A slightly paler colour than the 2003 tasted at the same time. Perfect cork - but I use the 2-pronged ‘butler’s friend’ corkpull for all old bottles of wine (See notes on Musar website for the device - widely available).
[Decanted slowly through a fine filter to remove the solid sediment. I always keep the inevitable fine powdery sediment late in the decant separate. I filter the last few ml (including any fine sediment) into a separate glass for an early taste.]
Good from the off but much better, as usual, after 5+ hours in the decanter.
It is still amazingly youthful and showed all the attractive sweet dark cherry and dark plum fruit and spice as in my previous note of 8 years ago. It continued to evolve in the glass over time. It has aged beautifully. Excellent structure, balance, and length. No VA.
Earlier notes are worth a look. Seeing the happy expressions on the faces of my wife and sons at dinner, we stopped trying to describe the subtleties and complexity of this wine and simply enjoyed it. No rush to drink your stocks! (1771 views) | | | Tasted by Puteljen! on 3/30/2024 & rated 93 points: A heady, classic nose of cassis, blueberries, cherries and blackberries. A bit of sandalwood, cinnamon and cloves. Very light VA, but much less than previous bottles. On the palate quite smooth and polished with generous fruit, medium structure and body and lots of detail. Medium+ lenght. This bottle is drinking surprisingly young. (2107 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 2/13/2024 & rated 91 points: Dry and crumbly cork that doesn’t hold upto the corkscrew. Mid garnet with some vestiges of ruby at the core. Spicy notes beneath the VA, that mix of spice, some red fruit and acetone. Lovely texture, fully evolved with a spot of glycerin enhancing the texture, quite long, and a touch of heat on the finish. Good, but let’s see how it holds up overnight. Similar the next evening in terms of flavour and texture, but now minus the obvious volatility on the nose. Last glass all but wiped out by very fine, hazy sediment. **** (2823 views) | | | Tasted by Eric on 2/9/2024: Mamnoon: Provencale herbs. Touch of VA. Warm and bright with cherry, earthy on the back end. This softens and gets warmer with air, strawberry preserve, baking spice. (2768 views) | | | Tasted by fournet on 1/20/2024 & rated 93 points: I have enjoyed a couple each of the 1999 and 2000 over the last two months. The vintage is very typical in style for Musar. Well balanced with complexity, relatively subtle tannins, and a very long finish. I continue to enjoy the unique and quality taste of Musar, and the 1999 is no exception.
I found the wine evolved over the first two hours after opening, but enjoyable from the first pour. (2918 views) | | | Tasted by dera on 12/31/2023 & rated 94 points: Developed ruby with a touch of bricking on the rim. Nose is developed with tart red fruit, lift from some VA, shit, leather, thyme, barnyard, madeira, meat. Palate is medium+ to full bodied, lingonberry, cranberry, some green pepper, savory herbs, crushed pepper/spices and star anise. Finishes long and somewhat complex with fully resolved tannins and very savory and silky mouthfeel. Likely at peak right now, and probably not long until the madeira notes take over, but for now, from this pristine bottle, damn nice wine. (2728 views) | | | Tasted by zscheiner on 12/27/2023: Another great bottle, see my previous note from this summer. Complex but harmonious. (2642 views) | | | Tasted by avzhang on 12/8/2023 & rated 93 points: Balanced with fruity nose. on the sweet side compare to other vintages. Right time to drink this wine.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. (2850 views) | | | Tasted by blanquito on 11/16/2023 & rated 94 points: This is truly wonderful. Lifted, exotic, ethereal, and spicy on the heady bouquet, with a layered, garrigue sweetness on the palate. The texture is silky and whatever structure it had in its youth is fully resolved, but it is otherwise just ascending to the peak of its powers. This is a clean, stable, flaw-free Musar, but with enough VA and complexity to still taste like the real McCoy. Easily the best Musar I’ve had, which covers the 97-05 vintages. (3205 views) | | | Tasted by NiklasW on 10/22/2023 & rated 90 points: Decanted for an hour. Hmm, does this need more than an hour of decanting now? Not as amazing as the previous bottles, but still very good. Sour cherries, rust, VA on the nose. Red cherry, excellent acidity, mellowed tannins on the palate. Didn’t get the wow effect I was after, but very enjoyable with a roast of moose. (3530 views) | | | Tasted by king-bing on 10/17/2023: Pretty funky on opening - lots of VA, horse and dirt. Maybe a touch stewed too. Alice certainly not a fan at this point. As ever with Musar, time did it's work. Notably cleaning up up, after 30 mins. After an hour it was clean enough to enjoy. Last glass at 2 hours much the best: a super red-fruited core with baked earth, wild herbs, and a real tension on the palate giving this cracking energy enhanced by a slight spiciness in the long finish. More than reminiscent of a Chateauneuf but without the alcohol. Super, but really needs air after opening. (3436 views) | | | Tasted by SICILIAN-SOLE on 9/10/2023 & rated 94 points: Wow! I was surprised at how fresh this wine is. Drinking beautifully right now, as it is walking the line between fruit driven and tertiary flavors of aged Bordeaux, with some tension left to keep it focused. (3587 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 9/8/2023: It's been a while since the previous dive into the Musar land, way too long actually. Surprisingly clean bouquet, tempting but raises concerns - is this Musar enough? The palate reveals that it is. Uniquely lovely and elegant, slightly sweet, lingonberry and cassis flavors, minerals, luxurious exotic spices and more. Clean and pure but hints of funk, nail polish, wet dog and pea pod - all necessary Musar elements. Fresh acidity and mouthwatering longish finish. Super-good bottle and an excellent vintage. Damn the torpedoes, I am moving to Bekaa Valley and live happily ever after. (3406 views) | | | Tasted by NickBurwood on 8/23/2023 & rated 93 points: While Musar produces freak great wines in "difficult" years (ie 1984) this is a classic archetypical vintage Musar that will age for a good time yet. Wonderful. Managed to acquire another case direct from Musar in 2018 and looking forward to breaking into it over the decade.
Now-2029 (at least). (3563 views) | | | Tasted by Ernestas on 6/9/2023 & rated 90 points: Lebanese night, Chateau Musar tasting (Vilnius, Lithuania): Chateau Musar tasting, flight 3/4, wine 8/12. Made from a blend of equal proportions of CS, Cinsault and Carignan, aged for 12 months in FR oak barrels. Deep ruby red, brick rim. Intense aroma of smoky cassis, leather, dry earth, brett, roasted walnuts, cedar. Medium+ body, earthy, bit smoky and fruitless with some licorice hints, fine medium tannins. Feels tired and bit dull with some life left in it, probably was stored improperly, as tried over two days and sadly there was no improvement. (4904 views) | | | Tasted by VlgJeff on 6/4/2023 & rated 94 points: Our second bottle of this vintage. Based on our prior experience, and many other TNs, we decanted this bottle for just shy of 7 hours to our first glass. Over that time the wine went through (what appears to be) its usual metamorphosis from its thin, light, acidic, youthful form to its darker, heavier, more expressive adult form. The medium bodied palate showed lots of spice, bright red, dark red, and a touch of black fruits, some earth and hints of cedar. The acidity was zesty and there was only a touch of tannin on the finish. The last glass - about 8 hours after decanting - was only slightly more present. This wine may(?!) still be evolving and will continue to delight for many more years. (4484 views) | | | Tasted by drfloyd on 6/4/2023: The last bottle had me worried a bit as it was a bit too advanced - but this one was outstanding and in great shape. A potpourri of spices on the nose, mint - just a lovely, show-stopping nose. Tannins are light at this point but plenty of acidity to give the wine perfect balance. Impressive! (4119 views) | | | Tasted by ploher on 5/21/2023: Second time with this vintage for me. Decanted for about 8 hours. Nose changes constantly over the evening from nutty to extremely floral to tar and shoe polish and blood, and back again. Ridiculous complexity. The palate has insane concentration of sweet red fruits, dried fruits, honey and spices. It's structured with quality tannins and fresh acidity, showing very young, so young that I think this still needs more time to full blossom. Extraordinary in every way. Even for Musar standards this 1999 is truly special. 20/20 (4446 views) | | | Tasted by zscheiner on 5/20/2023: A near perfect bottle. Just a hint of Musar funk (Bret) but it adds interest and complexity here. Dark red fruit is center stage with a melange of spices playing a strong supporting role. Such a great vintage for Musar and many years left in the tank. (4098 views) | | | Tasted by bobbylion on 5/4/2023 & rated 92 points: First day I would have poured it down the sink if I didn’t know better with Musar. Bitter, thin, off.
30 hrs later it was 90-91.
Day three it’s a solid 92. sweet fruit, chewy
Go figure:) (4087 views) | | | Tasted by N.Bonaparte on 4/29/2023 & rated 93 points: From split- 30 min decant was all that was necessary for this to exceed all of my expectations. Medium bodied with nearly fully integrated tannins. Nice balance and finish. This is in its prime with at least a decade of solid drinking but likely more. (3945 views) | | | Tasted by FiggySmalls on 4/24/2023: this bottle I opened on a whim after realizing I hadn't kept it in controlled temp storage and THEN seeing seepage THROUGH the capsule.
the capsule/cork looked like a disaster and I honestly wasn't in the mood for wine.
on pnp
oranges brick in the glass. slightly translucent. clean/not cloudy even though it was stored on the side
nose and mouth: wild strawberry, rose water, light bits of dried fig/PX sherry, poop direction funk, meaty direction funk, cherry, and orange tea. very high acid+ some VA/ vinegar on the nose, not nearly as oxidized as the color would suggest. super fresh, super energetic, super intriguing, super
delicious.
it's been a very long time since I've truly enjoyed a glass of wine--let alone been moved. they've all struck me as unimpressive or predictable. even wines I've felt should leave an impression enough to write a note... 2000 Chasse-Spleen, nice grower champagne, newly released Beaujolais, etc.
Bravo
(Drinking window =Fully soft tannin, but has the acidity to last. I would drink soon versus risking natty-wine volatility. Plenty developed and complex already) (4408 views) | | | Tasted by PJRONeill on 4/11/2023 & rated 93 points: From half bottle, clean as a whistle, and with surprisingly minimal sediment, this is in great form. A deep and complex nose of Christmas cake, balsamic, leather, pine tar and sweet red fruits. Balanced and long on the palate, the acidity keeps you coming back for more and the fruit has rounded and softened with age, with notes of leather and ash. In a great spot for current drinking but with plenty in reserve where bottles have been stored well. (4390 views) | | | Tasted by maxima on 4/5/2023 & rated 92 points: Bouteille soigneusement décantée pour en retirer le dépot.
Remis en bouteille laissé ouverte pendant un bon 6 hrs et
servi avec mon super Osso Bucco, accord réussi.
Assez souple et à point je dirais.
Sur les fruits rouges, la terre et aussi les épices.
Les tannins sont fondus et la finale est
assez longue sur des relents de menthol.
Super bien équilibré et sans accroc.
Excellent. (4732 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 4/1/2023 & rated 95 points: 14,15% alcohol, 5,97 g/l acidity, 0,95 g/l VA, pH 3,79. Decanted for four hours before tasting the wine.
Deep, quite dark and somewhat translucent brick-red color with an evolved maroon hue. The nose feels fragrant, quite dry and slightly oxidative yet not too old with layered aromas of sweet balsamic VA and strawberry jam, some Tawny Port-like caramel tones, a little bit of leathery brett, light juicy notes of ripe raspberries, a hint of dried figs and a touch of garrigue. The wine feels ripe, harmonious and subtly sweet-toned on the palate with a moderately full body and rather intense flavors of strawberry jam and very ripe raspberries, some bretty notes of leathery funk, a little bit of balsamic VA, light pruney tones, a syrupy, Tawny Port-like hint of sotolon and a touch of gamey meat. Despite its age, the wine retains an impressive, sinewy structure with its high acidity and still relatively grippy tannins. The finish is rich, complex and juicy with a firm tannic grip and a lengthy aftertaste of balsamic VA and wizened sour cherries, some strawberry tones, a little bit of dried dates, light oxidative notes of soy sauce, a sweet hint of soft black cherries and a touch of caramel.
A beautiful, complex and still impressively structured vintage of Musar that is consistently one of the best vintages in every Musar vertical it appears in. It feels like the wine has evolved to a point where it is aromatically more or less at its plateau of maturity, but its structure is still impressively firm and relatively tightly-knit. Regarding any further aging, I suspect the wine won't evolve much from the flavor perspective, but it might resolve into a slightly more open-knit texture over the following handful of years. However, based any further improvement is going to be quite limited, so any further aging is not really necessary. This is drinking beautifully right now, but most likely it will keep just fine for a decade or even longer. Truly a magical wine and among my favorite vintages of Musar from the past 20 years. At 30,59€ this has been a steal. (3198 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/2/2018)
(Ch Musar Bekaa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Christelle Guibert
Decanter, Chateau Musar Masterclass 2017 (12/11/2017)
(Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2017, Issue #67, Château Musar The World’s Most Heroic Wine
(Château Musar) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/7/2015)
(Ch Musar Bekaa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2009
(Chateau Musar) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2005
(Chateau Musar) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/14/2016)
(Chateau Musar) Slightly bricking dark red violet color; aromatic, lifted, licorice, dried berry, ginger cake, clove, violets nose; silky textured, complex, delicious, dried berry, dried red berry, licorice, dried cherry palate; long finish 95 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/22/2011)
(Chateau Musar) Dark red violet color; rich, anise, dried berry, spicy black fruit, chocolatey nose; tasty, youthful, tart black fruit, spice, fig, dried berry palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (12/15/2010)
(Chateau Musar) Medium garnet red color; nice anise, baked black fruit, clove nose; tasty, baked black fruit, clove, berry, black raspberry, anise palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/18/2010)
(Chateau Musar) Dark garnet red color; herbal, lavender, black fruit, fig nose with a touch of brett; tasty, garrigue, lavender, dried plum, fig palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/30/2010)
(Chateau Musar) Bricking medium dark red violet color; lovely plum, dried red fruit, anise, bittersweet chocolate nose; tasty plum, berry, anise, tart black fruit palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/28/2010)
(Chateau Musar) Medium raspberry red color with pale meniscus; lovely cherry, berry, anise nose; tasty, currant, berry,tart cherry, anise palate; medium-plus finish 94 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (4/12/2009)
(Chateau Musar) Dark red violet color with pale meniscus; rich, ripe berry, chocolate, raspberry, smoke and dried berry nose; lovely, dried berry, black fruit, chocolate and plum palate; medium finish 95 points | By Lyle Fass
Rockss and Fruit (9/29/2008)
(Chateau Musar) It was just plain sick. Incredible nose of currants, cherry, cassis, brett, tea leaves, hay, earthy and burnt forest floor that kept getting more and more aromatically interesting as the evening went along. The palate was perfect. No hard edges at all with perfect integration of all fruit, tannin and nice crisp acids with a light velvety mouthfeel that lingered for what seemed like forever. Lovely lovely Musar and will easily last 20 years in the cellar. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/20/2008)
(Chateau Musar) Earthy, dried plum nose; ripe berry, herb and plum palate with charcoal notes; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (4/3/2008)
(Chateau Musar) Big dried and sour cherry nose; great, rich, tangy, plum, dried plum red fruit palate; medium-plus finish 94 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/17/2008)
(Chateau Musar) Garnet red color with clear meniscus; dried cherry and tobacco nose; lovely, sappy, plush, dried cherry, dried plum palate; medium-plus finish 95 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/4/2007)
(Chateau Musar) Light medium red color with pale edges; great barnyard and meaty, sweet meat and tart cherry nose; tasty, Rhone-like beef jus, pepper and horseradish palate; medium-plus finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Decanter and View From the Cellar and Winedoctor and RJonWine.com and Rockss and Fruit. (manage subscription channels) |
| Chateau Musar Producer website
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
Housed in an 18th century castle in Ghazir, about 25 km north of Beirut, Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar, inspired by Lebanon’s 6,000-year winemaking tradition and his friendship with Ronald Barton of Chateau Leoville-Barton in Saint Julien. The estate’s name in Arabic is ‘M’zar,’ meaning “place of extraordinary beauty/shrine to be visited,” an ideal name for this fascinating estate.
The vines for the estate’s unique wines are located in the famed Bekaa Valley, an area celebrated for its viticulture since Biblical times. At the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanon’s favorable geographical and climatic conditions have always held abundant promise for the cultivation of grapes. The Bekaa Valley is positioned particularly well, nestled between the ‘Lebanon’ and ‘Anti-Lebanon’ mountain ranges at 34° N of the equator.
The vineyards of Musar are planted at altitudes ranging from 1,000 – 1,500 meters (3,280 – 4,921 ft) above sea level. The vines benefit from cool nights and seasonal temperatures (snow in winter and hot summers), resulting in long ripening periods. The vineyard soils are predominantly calcareous/limestone with gravel and stone, resulting in wines of distinctive character and blends of appealing complexity.
The vineyards’ remote location coupled with the Hochar family’s respect for the environment has resulted in ‘organic’ vineyards by default since the 1950s, even long before the term was coined. The estate obtained organic certification for its vineyards in 2005, the first producer in Lebanon to do so. All the grapes are hand-harvested by local Bedouins in the cool of the morning in order to preserve freshness, the harvest usually taking place between August and October.
The Chateau Musar winery is located in Ghazir about two and a half hour’s drive from the Bekaa Valley. The cellars are dug into the mountainside providing perfect condition for long term wine storage. The wines of Chateau Musar are produced with a ‘non-interventionist’ wine making philosophy; fermentation starts naturally with ambient yeasts, the bare minimum of sulfur is used and the Chateau Musar wines are neither fined nor filtered. Individual varieties from different vineyards are kept separately up to two years, and constantly tasted to understand their unique personalities and characteristics. The final blending process is an intrinsic part of the winemaking art at Chateau Musar — winemaking by instinct.
The estate produces three lines: the flagship range includes Chateau Musar Red, Chateau Musar White and Chateau Musar Rosé; Hochar Père et Fils Red – a more accessible red, produced from a single vineyard site in the Bekaa Valley and ready to drink upon release at year five (as opposed to Chateau Musar Red which the family recommends to drink starting from year 15); and Musar Jeune — unoaked vibrant wines intended for immediate drinking. The Chateau Musar Red and White wines undergo lengthy bottle ageing in the estate cellars and are released only after seven years.
Chateau Musar first achieved international recognition during the Bristol Wine Fair in England in 1979, where the wine press and prominent critics including Michael Broadbent declared it “the discovery of the fair”. In 1984, Decanter wine magazine named Serge Hochar their first ever “Man of the Year” for his extraordinary achievements, determination and dedication to producing outstanding wines during the difficult years of the Lebanese civil war.
Today, Chateau Musar wines are known worldwide for their finesse, elegance and extraordinary ability to age, and the estate still offers mesmerizing wines dating back to the 1950’s.
Speaking about the wines of Chateau Musar, Serge Hochar said “the harmony of nature is better than anything we could ever create. I believe it should be a priority to seek to drink what is ‘true’ rather than what is ‘good’ “. When speaking about quality in wine he added “I once produced a wine that was technically perfect but it lacked the charms of imperfection”.
With its captivating history and the incredible passion and dedication of the Hochar family, Chateau Musar has achieved a sort of cult-like status and is one of the most written-about and discussed wines in the world today.Chateau MusarA guide to the style
In youth, Chateau Musar Reds are dense and richly-textured, with intense ‘baked fruit’ characters: plums, damsons, cranberries, cherries, figs and dates. Bordeaux grape Cabernet Sauvignon lends black fruit flavours; Rhône grapes Cinsault and Carignan contribute fragrance (violets; pepper) and supple spiciness. Either set of qualities might dominate a particular vintage, but the style is always emphatically Lebanese: enticingly aromatic, with persistent fruit flavours. Over decades the wines acquire tawny hues and mellow notes. We still offer wines from the 1950s: mesmerising artefacts of vintage.
Grapes and vines
Seven years in the making, Chateau Musar Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the Bekaa Valley villages of Ammiq, Aana and Kefraya on gravelly soils over limestone. Planted from the 1930s onwards, yields are low from these mature bushvines (average age: 40 years): 35hl per hectare.
Winemaking
The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement-lined vats at temperatures below 30°C. Racked from their yeast ‘lees’ 6 months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels (oak from the forest of Nevers, one-third new each vintage) for one year.
Blending
The varietal components are brought together two years after the harvest; the resulting blend is then placed back in cement-lined tanks before being bottled 12 months later. Each wine is blended to reflect the strengths of the vintage: in hotter years, Cabernet Sauvignon might dominate (the thick-skinned grapes fare better in the heat); cooler conditions can favour the Cinsault grape. After 4 years’ bottle maturation in the deep stone cellars of Chateau Musar, the finished wines are released a full seven years after the harvest.
Decanting and serving
Bottled unfined and unfiltered, Chateau Musar Reds are suitable for vegans (fining agents often contain animal proteins); they’re also richly-textured and likely to ‘throw a crust’. This is a common feature of most fine wines and is especially true of Musar Red vintages over a decade old. Ideally, bottles should be stood up the night before opening to settle any sediment. After careful decanting (and discarding of sediment, usually in the last centimetre of the bottle) the wine should be allowed to breathe for several hours and served at 18°C with roasts, grills (especially lamb), casseroles, game, and mature cheeses.
Storage
To keep the wines showing at their best, bottles must be cellared in darkness, lying on their sides and not subjected to unnecessary movement or fluctuations in temperature.Red Blend. |
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