HKWS tasting - 5 decades of Musar Blanc with Serge Hochar

Following on the 5 decades of Chateau Musar with Serge in 2012 the Hong Kong Wine Society organised a tasting of 5 decades of Chateau Musar Blanc. Serge and his son Marc joined the tasting - along with 14 other tasters.
The tasting was one blind - 12 wines, at least 2 wines from each decade - 1966 to 2003. The event happened dining room of the Aberdeen Marine Club. Tasting was followed by a 5 course dinner accompanied by 6 more wines, including the 1984 Musar Red that was never released.

Wines tasted blind and random. Ranked by each participant 1 - 12. Statistical results analysed.

Vintage 1992 1980 2001 1969 1989 1966 1994 2003 1967 1986 1981 1975

Total 105 84 87 93 109 122 93 107 57 119 124 70
First 1 0 2 2 2 1 1 0 4 0 0 2
Second 0 1 4 2 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 2
Last 0 0 1 2 1 6 2 0 0 1 2 0
Rank 7 3 4 5 9 11 5 8 1 10 12 2

• 1966 Chateau Musar Blanc Flawed

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Amber and cloudy. Corked.
  Raked 11th - 122 point, 1 first, 2 second, 6 last. Apparently one or two glasses were mixed up.
  Personal last

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• 1967 Chateau Musar Blanc 95 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Gold. Ethereal, lifted, smoky , lingering, tart structure, very fresh and rich. Similar to the 2001. Not showing age.
  Wine of the night - came first. 4 firsts, 3 second, no last, 57 points.
  Personal 2nd.

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• 1969 Chateau Musar Blanc 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Brown/tawny. Sherry like, acitic, toffee, raisins, mandarin peel, quince, smooth.
  93 points - came 5th, two first, two second, two last.
  Personal 6th.

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• 1975 Chateau Musar Blanc 91 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Amber. Marked VA, manzanilla, saline, elegant, light, fresh, seems young. Good length.
  70 points, came 2nd - 2 first, 2 second, no last.
  Personal 7th

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• 1980 Chateau Musar Blanc 94 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Amber. Dried mandarin, herbal, peel, parrafin wax, medicinal, furniture polish, like a very old cognac.
  84 points - came 3rd, no first, one second, no last.
  Personal 3rd

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• 1981 Chateau Musar Blanc 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Amber. Menthol, eucalyptos - very unusual, as both of these flavours are very dominant. Anise, liquorice, Fernet Branca, medicinal.
  124 points - came 12th, no first or second, two last.
  Personal 5th.

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• 1986 Chateau Musar Blanc 90 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Gold, Peppery, exotic fruit, passion fruit, less complexity, one dimensional.
  119 point - came 10th, no first or second, one last.
  Personal 10th.

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• 1989 Chateau Musar Blanc 89 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Gold. Epoisse, saline, banana, melon, soil, mushroom, seaside. a bit vegetal.
  109 point - came 9th, two first, no second, one last.
  Personal 11th.

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• 1992 Chateau Musar Blanc 90 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Golden. Flinty, honeyed, dry finish, spices, vegetal, well integrated, baked apples.
  105 points - came 7th, one first, no second or last.
  Personal 9th.

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• 1994 Chateau Musar Blanc 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Gold. Candied, sweet, smooth, mahogany, peach, apricot, elegant, pu-er.
  93 points - came 5th, one first, one second, two last.
  Personal 4th.

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• 2001 Chateau Musar Blanc 96 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Straw. Fresh, citrus peel, smoke, meaty, beacon, dried fruit, smooth, classy.
  87 point - came 4th, 2 first, 4 second, one last.
  Personal first.

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• 2003 Chateau Musar Blanc 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Straw. Honeyed, mineral, restrained, Burgundian, crisp acidity, oats, young.
  107 points - came 8th, no first, second or last.
  Personal 8th.

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Pan roasted king prawn
Cous cous tabouli, pomegranate molasses dressing
Chateau Musar Rose 1995
--
Mediterranean Boulibasse
red mullet, spotted crab, mussels, traditional rouille croutons
Chateau Musar Blanc 2000
--
Welsh Lamb 2 ways
Baked Pithiver of braised fore shank
Roasted rack, cabbage parcels, pearl onions, confit garlic jus
Chateau Musar 1984, 1988 and 1998
--
A selection of 3 seasonal cheeses
Chateau Musar 1988, 1988 and 1998
--
Warm Apple tart
pistachio sauce, vanilla ice cream
Chateau Musar Blanc 1998

• 1995 Chateau Musar Rosé 90 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dinner wine. Wonderfully different from the red and whites. 3% Carignan added (like a rose Champagne). Light, delicate - still very Musar.

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• 2000 Chateau Musar Blanc 90 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dinner wine. A bit heavier and not as ready as the other tasting wines. Will need age, worked well as dinner wine.

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• 1984 Chateau Musar 96 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dinner wine. Ethereal. Initially like an Yquem. Extremely elegant and long. Has a long time ahead. Ready for release for some - but Serge said give it another 10 years. Was never released due to high VA accumulated during the extremely delayed arrival at the winery during the civil war.

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• 1988 Chateau Musar 96 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Diner wine. Powerful, muscular, meaty. One of the most impressive reds ever tasted. If the 84 is Burgundian, this is 1st growth Bordeaux. Incredible length and complexity.

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• 1998 Chateau Musar 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dinner wine. Powerful, but still rough. Will need lots of time. One of the bottles initially off (similar to corked) - showed Ok at the ed of the dinner.

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• 1998 Chateau Musar Blanc 91 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Dinner wine. For a Musar Blanc in a bit of a dumb phase. Still very complex and balanced. Will do well with 5 more years.

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The tasting was another great success, showing how young some of the old very old Musar Blanc can taste and what an incredible range of styles these wines display. The 1984 and 1988 Rouge were revelations.