Mini-Vertical: Chateau Musar
Arlequin Wines, San Francisco
Tasted Thursday, January 20, 2011 by drwine2001 with 547 views
Flight 1 - Reds (4 Notes)
Flight 2 - White (1 Note)
Yes, it was served after the reds, which made sense given the weight of the white compared to the reds.
Closing
It was great to taste 4 different vintages of this wine, with which I've had only infrequent encounters over the years. Unfortunately, the experience tonight recapitulated my prior experience-up and down, very unpredictable. As someone with low tolerance for volatile acidity, I clearly am not destined to be one of the rabid Musar afficionados, yet I can certainly appreciate the distinctiveness of some bottles (including the white, which would have absolutely impossible to place if tasted blind).
2001 Chateau Musar
Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Garnet color, pretty advanced for 10 year old wine. This reeks of VA and has a very Italianate profile in this respect. Faded red fruit, lighter to the point of feeling skinny, and a funny chemical component that has me wondering if this is flawed or just an extreme expression of this wine. Whatever the case, a disappointing way to start the series of reds.
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1998 Chateau Musar
Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Deeper than the 2001, pale edge but less brown than the younger wine. Less obvious VA on the nose. Completely different feel-more body and harmony. Complex mix of chocolate notes, sappy black cherry, herbs, and earth. This is greener in flavor than any of the other vintages. Excellent length, firm acidity. My favorite of the 4 reds tasted. Could hold a little longer but very good now.
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1994 Chateau Musar
Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Sound light center with watery rim. Frank vinegar scent. However, there is more than meets the nose. Body a bit less weighty than the '98. Lovely red fruit that is still pretty fresh and sweet on the finish, earth, some funkiness, and some ending brown spices. Despite all of these attractive elements, the VA dominates, giving it a prickly quality that detracts from the overall enjoyment. A unique mix.
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1990 Chateau Musar
Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Light with browning. A touch of VA, but different secondary perfume and cedary notes. Cleaner than the preceding wine. Light, elegant, very pleasing weight and feel. Still some sweetness of fruit, brown spice note as also seen in the '94, lingering well integrated acidity. Mature, very good, but for me still a step behind the '98 in its overall completeness and underlying material.
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