288074 Wed Dec 12 06:25:54 -0800 2001 9 34 Wine 0 1552913 I plan to buy a bottle as a Christmas present. Does anyone know which is the best of the recent vintages? Thank you Wed Dec 12 06:25:54 -0800 2001 0 After Bunny 1 1552960 If the information I've provided below is helpful to you, please make a financial contribution to Chowhound via the link below. I moderated a tasting presentation last year of several vintage of Ch. Musar, both red and white, with the winery's US importer for the Society of Wine Educators. The 1993 vintage of the red has outstanding potential and should still be available in the market. Here are my notes on the presentation, followed by tasting impressions of the wines. Chateau Musar: Red, White and War Presented by Bartholomew Broadbent - President, Broadbent Selections August 4, 2000 This year's SWE conference provided a treasure trove of exceptional wines, but none were more intriguing than this look at the wines of Lebanon's Chateau Musar. Surely no winemaker is more passionate than Serge Hochar who continued to practice his art during the 15 years of civil war. Honored as the inaugural Man of the Year in 1989 to recognize his bravery in winemaking, _Decanter_ magazine said, "No one in the world of wine can have had such an appallingly difficult and dangerous job - and surmounted it. To produce wine at all in these circumstances would be remarkable, but to have produced excellent wine is extraordinary." Chateau Musar practices its own brand of diplomacy by employing at least one person from every political faction. Fortunately, it's paid off. The warring parties have left the old vineyards in the Bekaa Valley untouched, although the flinty aroma and taste of gunpowder residue from 30 years of constant fighting near these plots are clearly expressed in Chateau Musar's wines. The age of the vines for the reds ranges from 25 to 60 years; the whites are 100 to 150 years old. The soils are gravel with a limestone base and apparently disease-free. The red wine is a varying blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon, adjusted to suit Hochar's desire for each year to express a different taste. Only 60% makes it into the final blend. In recent vintages, the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon has been reduced in favor of the other two. The white wine uses Lebanese varieties: Merwah which is similar to Semillon and since 1985 also Obaideh which resembles Chardonnay/Chasselas. The reds are fermented in raw concrete vats. Yes, that's right, no epoxy lining. After spending a year in vat, the red wine lots are still kept separate and are transferred to seasoned Nevers oak barrels where they remain for 12 to 14 months. The red is then blended and transferred back to concrete vats for another year. At the end of the third year, the red wine is bottled with a light filtration, and then released no sooner than its fifth year. Hochar suggests drinking the reds after 12 years. How do they taste? Poetry in a glass is not a cliché when speaking of Chateau Musar. They are not the bold fruit-forward wines of the New World, nor the expression of a classic Old World region. They speak of a different place, even a different dimension. As I approached each wine, my mind raced to find parallels with the wine worlds familiar to me. Each in turn, the reds share the carriage and staying power of Bordeaux, the evocative primal aromas and perfect balance of great Burgundy, the sunny warmth and subtle leathery spice of the southern Rhone, and the sweet lift of violets and woodsy fruit of old Barbaresco. Yet I also uncovered other qualities far too elusive to describe in vinous vocabulary. Even Hochar declines to discuss his wines, preferring to speak of love, poetry and philosophy. His wines resonate with these passions. But these are not for everyone. The decanting crew remarked that on first opening several of the reds seemed fatally flawed by excessive volatile acidity (vinegar) and the stench of brettanomyces. These had dissipated substantially with an hour's aeration and time in the glass, yet still left a signature that may be too much for those accustomed to squeaky clean fruit-bomb wines. Decanting well in advance of serving and vigorous aeration are absolute necessities to allow the complex aromas to unfold and come into focus. With my penchant for the character of old wines redolent with developed bottle bouquet and mature flavors beyond the taste of primary fruit, Chateau Musar vibrates every one of my enophilic senses. If you prefer Volnay to Pommard or Lafite to Latour, you'll share my joy of discovery of these wines' many nuances and subtleties. The wonder of Chateau Musar is the magical aroma and the intensity of sweet fruit in a light-textured frame. Tasting selected vintages over a 15-year time span, all displayed the advanced character of aged wine yet retained the youthful snap and crisp acid quality that carry the wines' great length and persistence. The only indications of greater age in the 1978 was more browning around the rim, additional complexity and a more seamless melding of flavors --- this wine is evolving at a snail's pace and still has many years of enjoyment ahead. Perhaps these wines are timeless. 93 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Lifted and evocative aromatics enlivened by attractive level of volatile acidity and brett's leathery complexity mingled with ink, dusty earth, dried cherry, fig, cranberry and gunpowder, uncommon refinement on the palate, light bodied yet vivid with sweet red fruit, floral and flint in delicate balance, reminiscent of old-fashioned Chateauneuf-du-Pape, extremely long lingering finish with sweet fruity aftertaste. OUTSTANDING 91 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Reserved and more nuanced aromas of firecrackers, sweet cherry, rose petal, carob, tobacco, smoke, merde and some nuttiness, bolder personality with plumper mouthfeel and more weight, sweet and focused on the palate with dusty fruit, potpourri, dried cranberry, cherry confiture and earth, fans out in broad fleshy finish. EXCELLENT 90 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Denser and deeper bouquet with mushroom, forest floor, potpourri, cassis and red fruit, supple spine with more pronounced acidity, fleshy and powerful impression, less developed and more direct impact in the mouth with soft red curranty fruit, dried cherry and flint, rounder finish of moderate length. VERY GOOD 89 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Picked prematurely due to rapidly advancing warfare. Lightest hue of the group, less aromatic and not as characterful on the palate, leaner impression, understated red fruit with flinty earth and green olive nuances, not as complex as the others yet still attractive with satisfying length. GOOD 88 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Ethereal and high-toned bouquet with mushroom, red fruit, talcum powder, white truffle, cardamom, lambskin suede and floral flourish, bigger structure lending a Claret-like personality, warm alcohol with more solid core of red fruit and gunpowder in the mouth, concentrated and flavorful, dense long-lasting finish. OUTSTANDING 78 CHATEAU MUSAR red - Very fragrant with detailed and complex perfume of sweet cherry, animale, gunpowder, musk, leather, delicate spice and violets, regal bearing, distinctive balance with layers of vivid flavor and youthful acidity in a light filigreed frame, well-integrated and intense in the mouth with the sweetness of maturity, red fruit, talc, oolong tea and spicy complexity, less flint expression, almost Burgundian in the manner of a well-aged Barbaresco, long and lingering finish haunted by the fleeting remembrance of a faded nosegay. OUTSTANDING 95 CHATEAU MUSAR white - Bright straw in hue, waxy nose with floral, chalk, almond, jack fruit and white glue, weighty mouthfeel brightened with clean acidity, powerful phenolic character with tart acidity and pronounced astringency, concentrated and long-lasting. Needs substantial time in the cellar. VERY GOOD 96 CHATEAU MUSAR white - More vivid nose lifted by volatile acidity with glue, bit of toasted almond and citronella, fresher acid balance and not as astringent, milder personality with some resinous flavors, woodsy spice and muted fruit, heavy finish. VERY GOOD Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/21/cat21.htm?27 Wed Dec 12 15:47:12 -0800 2001 1552913 0 Melanie Wong 2 1552985 I did buy the 1993 (blind!) last night and I was pleased on searching for reviews on it this morning that it is a nice one. The wine shop where I bought it has ten to fifteen vintages going back to 1972. Thu Dec 13 05:02:08 -0800 2001 1552960 0 After Bunny 3 1553026 Who and where is this wine shop? Link: http://www.chowhound.com/chowmarket/index.html Thu Dec 13 19:10:35 -0800 2001 1552985 0 Melanie Wong 4 1553044 Wimbledon Wine Cellars Chiswick High Road London nearest tube: Turnham Green (I think there are one or two other branches) Fri Dec 14 06:27:54 -0800 2001 1553026 0 After Bunny 5 1553178 Lucky you, poor me (in San Francisco). Wed Dec 19 03:53:18 -0800 2001 1553044 0 Melanie Wong 6 3788872 Melanie? The national importer of Chateau Musar is in San Francisco. It's Broadbent Selections, Inc. Just give Bart a call . . . . http://www.broadbent-wines.com/ Tue Jun 17 15:30:53 -0700 2008 1553178 28122 zin1953 1 3787758 Anyone know how the recent strife in the Middle East has affected the winery? Tue Jun 17 10:28:35 -0700 2008 1552913 11117 SteveTimko 2 3788867 TTBOMK, it hasn't. Tue Jun 17 15:29:07 -0700 2008 3787758 28122 zin1953 3 3789010 i just picked up some of the '99. Has anyone tried it? Tue Jun 17 16:24:39 -0700 2008 3788867 137888 Cam D