In Memoriam - Tasting Musar at Heirloom

Heirloom, San Francisco
Tasted Thursday, February 5, 2015 by RajivAyyangar with 442 views

Introduction

A vibrant tasting with sincere Musar enthusiasts (GA, AY, LM, KC) and a good friend! (MB - who dove right in and put up with all our nonsense and wine geekery). The food was beautiful and simple, and there was much appreciation and love of Serge, his wines, and wine in general all around. GA spoke of how personally inspiring he found Serge, as a cultural ambassador and icon from the Middle East, connecting with people in the West. AY shared vignettes of tasting with Serge.

Flight 1 - Whites (2 Notes)

Too young! If the '69 I had back in 2009 was any indication, we were committing infanticide. That said, I loved the '06.

2006 Chateau Musar Blanc 93 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

Beautiful nose of apple-balsamic, beeswax, washed-rind cheese, brazil nut. In any other white these might be considered mature secondary aromas, but compared to my memory of the ’69 Blanc, these are relatively youthful and even simplistic for this wine. I have a feeling this could mature and gain complexity for a few more decades.
In the mouth it is delightful - funky, savory, and waxy with a bit of weight (compared to the ’05) all enrobed in a vibrant crystalline acidity (clean on the finish, not tart on the midpalate). med- body, med+ acidity, med alcohol. Like a conversation with new lover by candlelight.

I really, really enjoyed this wine, and yet I feel certain it has a long way to go.
Score: Between 9 and 9.5.

From the winery:
Alcohol: 12.30 %
Residual Sugar: <2 g/l
pH: 3.45
Total Acidity:
4.00 g/l as sulfuric acid
6.12 g/l as tartaric acid
Total Sulphur: 38 mg/l

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2005 Chateau Musar Blanc 90 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

Slightly more subdued on the nose than the ’06, again with apple-balsamic, beeswax, and washed-rind, though to my taste not quite in as fantastic a balance. There seems to be a hint of oak, or wood, or something in that realm (not oak influence, really).
In the mouth it seems a bit lighter, tarter on the midpalate, and not as long or vibrant on the finish as the ’06. L+ body, L+ acidity (tart), L+ alcohol. For me, the ’06 was showing better tonight. Score: Around 9.

from the winery:
Alcohol: 12%
Residual Sugar: <2 g/l
pH: 3.59
Total Acidity:
3.50 g/l as sulfuric acid
5.36 g/l as tartaric acid
Total Sulphur: 26 mg/l

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Flight 2 - Reds (5 Notes)

Baffling! The 96 (which outshone the '94 for me, at the Bergstrom tasting) was subdued. My last bottle of the steadfast '94 sung far beyond any I've had. The 99 was, predictably, closed down and youthful.

1991 Chateau Musar 93 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

Color: Cloudy red in the glass with a pale rim. (It was pretty dim in the restaurant, don’t trust any of my color notes - I’d refer to Kirk's notes from late 2014).
Nose: Initial aromas of green apple (oxidative) and forest floor, then the wine bloomed into a boldly-splashed canvas of baked apple, tart blackberry and cherry, fig stems, and a hint of tamari. The nose is simply gorgeous - savory, sweet, and much more.
In the mouth this wine is effortlessly balanced - med- body, med alcohol, med+ acid. The flavors on the palate follow the nose, and seem to shimmer and oscillate in balance with each smell and sip. As several people remarked, at most tastings this would be wine of the night, but on this occasion my ’94 (to my surprise) seemed to outshine it.
Score: Between 9 and 9.5

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1994 Chateau Musar 93 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

From my cellar. Medium-red in the glass, this wine has a typically layered and evolving nose of Brett (4-EP), clove (4-EG), brilliantly warm fruit, deep cherry, tamari, tobacco and so much more. At times it reminded me of a fine lambic, and at other times it seemed to produce within it a sketch of a great Bordeaux, or a whisper of a Burgundy. I’ve had several bottles of the ’94, and indeed, this is my last - it’s always been a good wine, but with faulty corks I’m never sure how any bottle will play out. Usually, it plays second-fiddle to the ’95 and ’96. In this case, my last bottle might have been my best.
Score: Between 9 and 9.5

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1996 Chateau Musar 90 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

From my cellar. Medium+ ruby in the glass, this wine had a somewhat subdued nose of dark red fruit, hint of port character, slight stewed vegetables and brioche. In the mouth it was medium- bodied - not as exuberant and complex as its peers, at least on this night.
Score: Around 9

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1998 Chateau Musar 90 Points

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

Rich, sweet, pretty nose of baked raspberry, among the usual Musar funk. In the mouth it was fresh, spritzy, almost zippy with more raspberry. A lighter-intensity Musar.
Score: Around 9

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1999 Chateau Musar

Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

Somewhat closed nose of dense, dark fruit. In the mouth, plummy with grippy tannins. This was just opened, and I think needed to be decanted a lot longer. Very young and closed.

Score: No score.

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