June 9, 2023 - Lebanese night, Chateau Musar tasting (Vilnius, Lithuania): Chateau Musar tasting, flight 4/4, wine 11/12. Made from a blend of CS, Cinsault and Carignan, aged in FR oak barrels. This is just speechless, hands down my oldest tasted red which is still at its peak, great energy and fruitiness, truly time defying gem. Medium- garnet colour, tawny rim. Intense and complex aroma of cassis, prunes, dried leaves, mushrooms, leather, earth, celery root, spices, tamarind. Medium+ body, elegant and velvety, harmonious balance, medium+ tannins and acidity, everlasting finish.
July 25, 2021 - Not an easy one to spot as served blind. This was exceptionally pale and light (we are talking beaujolais and pinot noir light), so we all called burgundy! Added a little weight with air, but mind blowing that this is a bordeaux blend from Lebanon (face plant moment). Broadly speaking, I don't like younger vintages from this producer which are so big and bold, but this was a lovely elegant wine. With SJW for his birthday.
May 5, 2016 - Clear, greyish brown, very evolved in colour and on the nose - leather, earth, mushrooms, hints of Maggi spice. Soft and mellow on the palate, still very much alive and well balanced, good acidity. Nice bite towards the finish. Long, lingering. A wonderful bottle and a real privilege to taste! 93-95
June 23, 2015 - Terroni with Marc Hochar: Serious gorgeous stuff; according to Marc, '66, '70, and '77 were bigger "Pomerol" years with heftier structure and longevity. "Only signs of age is in the appearance". Pale translucent ruby, slight rusty hues; fragrant floral and slight cherry pie nuances with slight reduction/fumey herbs, animale and duck sauce; smooth, silky, elegant, almost no perceptible tannins but not weak or lacking in depth; Amazing, but alas, $988/btl wholesale.
November 14, 2014 - Fine old Musar on the nose, but the oxidation on the palate is too distracting.
June 29, 2014 - Light brick red colour with orange meniscus. Mature, stylish and elegant nose of red currents, red cherries and cedar wood. On the palate the wine is lively, packed with red cherry, blackcurrent fruit, vibrant acidity and a freshness that belies the age. Perfectly balanced with great length - a truly super wine and still got years of life ahead of it.
June 1, 2012 - Five Decades of Chateau Musar....with Serge Hochar (Shanghai Room, Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong): Tasted blind as one of 12 vintages over 5 decades. Small serving. Very bright-jeweled, transparent ruby colour with no hint of amber......looks young compared to most of the wines. Nose is a drop dead gorgeous.... perfumed and with whisps of opium smoke....this has a resonance even on the nose, which is the mark of a very special wine. Palate is very light mouthfeel and a ferrous element up front but then it segues into liquorice pods and a dilute form of black Chinese medicine ....sweet fruit......a brilliantly dry brick dust powdery tannin finish. This stayed incredibly powerful with even a spoonful's-worth with extended time in the glass. My #5 as officially recorded but was really #3= with the 1978 and the 1995, group's #8 (but with three #1s).
April 29, 2012 - I bought mine duty free in Sweden many years ago. Opened one today for fun. Not an enjoyable experience, sadly. This wine passed over into the great void long long ago. Thin brown and sour. There is a tiny bit of fruit there but .....no - down the sink
April 13, 2012 - Musarathon (Strictly Rhythm, London): A billowing horsey nose, but ripe and tangy on the palate, tasted much younger than its years with its rich fruit and exotic spices. Fresh, mouth filling, thrilling
April 13, 2012 - Musarathon (Strictly Rhythm, London): Transparent light orange. Mature nose of soy sauce and cinnamon. Somehow viscous, like an elixir, even as it's totally weightless. Some volatility. Still has some tangy fruit, sort of a sour apricot. Remarkably persistent finish. I don't love this wine--I didn't even want to finish my glass, much to my tablemates' delight--but I can recognize that it's a rare bird. Others went gaga, and it was the consensus WOTN. 87 on pleasure, 93 on intellectual interest.