1993 Chateau Musar

Community Tasting Notes (104) Avg Score: 91.6 points

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  10/6/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:

  When we first poured this, there was so much bouquet coming out of the glass--really remarkable. Perfumey, with graphite, lead pencil. As the wine aired, these aromas shifted out and relaxed, allowing some light imprint of brett to come through. I dislike brett and there was just enough for me to notice abd yet not be turned off. Ripe dark fruit, with a juicy feel. Blackberry and warm spice. I had let this sit in the glass and then forgot to revisit it later in the dinner. Thank you Blake for sharing this and honoring Counselor Seiber.

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  8/20/2023 - johnrm Likes this wine: 95 Points

  The wine was in excellent condition with marginal ullage (well up into the neck having been stored in my 11 degree C wine fridge since release) As usual, I removed the cork intact with careful use of a two-pronged cork remover (a corkscrew would have been messy). Decanted carefully. The dregs were a bit acidic and the wine was set aside.
  The colour was an attractive browning shade, as before. After an hour, the wine was opening. The nose showed maraschino cherry and the incredibly youthful palate showed sweet cherry fruit, soft integrated tannins, good balance and acidity. Very long.
  After 3 hours, it was really coming alive showing a more powerful, nose and palate with remarkable sweet fruit, lots of mixed spice (cinnamon, cardomom, cumin, coriander) and ever-evolving complexity. Hints of orange acidity later. The palate was as long as I can remember in a wine.
  We chose to have an alternative wine with our food and kept this until later.
  Next day, it was still evolving. Some additional strawberry on the nose and palate with good fruit and persistent, balanced cherry acidity, some savoury hints, and almost honeyed sweetness at the very end. Still very long and a different wine after more time.
  Excellent. Better on its own after 4-8 hours on day one but very good with food next day.
  
  I can only say again: never, ever, ‘pop and pour’ an older Musar. You are wasting a potentially great bottle if you judge it as soon as it is opened.

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  4/1/2023 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points

  The vintage 1993 started with a cold and rainy winter, followed by a mild spring and surprise freezes in May, reducing the crop by 10%. The summer was quite normal throughout and a hot week in early September accelerated the fruit to reach good ripeness. Harvested in the latter half of September, starting on 16th of September. Very slow and steady fermentation with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks. Aged for 12 months in predominantly old Nevers oak barrels, after which the final cuvée was blended. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in 1996. 13,7% alcohol. Decanted for six hours before tasting the wine.
  
  Deep, evolved and quite luminous brick-red color with a tertiary orange hue. The rather perfumed nose feels evolved, harmonious and rather sweet-toned with layered aromas of wizened black cherries and ripe dark plums, some ethery notes of VA, a little bit of dried flowers, light autumnal notes of damp leaves, a hint of smoke, a touch of marmaladey red berries and a whiff of sun-baked earth. The wine feels evolved, silky and harmonious on the palate with a medium body and complex flavors of tobacco and beef jerky, some fragrant nuances of dried flowers, a little bit of gamey meat, light autumnal notes of damp leaves, sweet hints of ripe black cherries and dried red plums and a touch of salt-cured meat. The structure relies more on the high acidity, as the supple, resolved tannins contribute more to the rich, textural mouthfeel of the wine. The finish is long, juicy and harmonious with a savory, complex aftertaste of tobacco and dried flowers, some autumnal notes of damp leaves, a little bit of cherry marmalade, light pruney tones, a hint of game and a sweet touch of ripe red plums.
  
  A fantastic, evolved and harmonious vintage of Musar that is now, at approximately 30 years of age, at its peak. There is enough fruit to make the wine feel vibrant and energetic, but structurally the wine is starting to feel fully resolved and flavor-wise there is quite a bit of savory tertiary complexity. Most likely any good bottles will remain in a wonderful shape for a good handful of years more, but I feel this vintage won't really improve with any additional aging and it doesn't call for further cellaring. Drink now or in the following years - this is now as good as it gets! Superb stuff and among my favorites in out Musar 2004-1991 vertical.

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  8/21/2022 - Duncan H wrote: flawed

  Gone!

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  7/16/2022 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Family Lunch with the Lais and Alams (The Conservatory, Crown Wine Cellars, 18 Deep Water Bay Drive, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Decanted for 5 hours. Colour is light Burgundy-style largely transparent plummy faded red. Nose is VA and high piano notes. Palate is so smooth peppery and rounded minerality. Burgundian. Rich and deep. Tons of fruit still. Great depth and resonance. Not the greatest bottle of this vintage but still super. 93 but our guests liked it more...I had scored it a very high by my standards 96 pts a couple of months ago.

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