Chateau Musar

Gaston Hochar started Chateau Musar in 1930 in Ghazir. The Hochar’s are of French origin but stayed after the crusades. They have taken up the region’s 6,000 year old wine heritage as Lebanon’s best wine producer. Remarkably they have made wine every year, except 1976 and 1984, even through civil wars. Their long lived red blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. Uniquely it is only blended after 3 years in separate barrels, then aged for another 4 before release.

Prices: In Bond Inc. VAT

Year	Wine	Region	Format	Qty	Score	Price
Musar Red 1980 (1x75cl) Inc. VAT: £314.40
1980	Musar Red 1980 (1x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18+) Marked bottle deposit on the shoulder. Pale rust red. Hint of decay on the nose which may well be cork-related (although the cork itself smells clean). Very vigorous, palate-grabbing start. This is full of life with light tannins on the end. Very impressive in many ways even if it’s still quite youthful. Really very difficult to assign a score to. I’d love to taste another bottle of this to assess whether that slightly note of decay is because of the wine or the cork. Wonderfully impressive in every respect other than this (which I will ignore in choosing my score) and this tastes as though it has a great future. The note of decay dissipated. As per photos ,2006058 - Not SIB, Repack, Damaged cap, Low level, Stained label Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 3-4 weeks	Bekaa Valley	1x75cl	1	18+ (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £314.40
Musar Red 1990 (1x75cl) Inc. VAT: £276.00
1990	Musar Red 1990 (1x75cl) As per photos Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 5-7 weeks	Bekaa Valley	1x75cl	1	-	Inc. VAT: £276.00
Musar Red 1998 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £350.40
1998	Musar Red 1998 (6x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18.5) Pale, particularly bright garnet. Light, spicy, particularly well-integrated nose. Already well developed. Sweet start and very nicely mature. Seems just right now. The opposite of heavy. Lifted, jewel-bright. Really lovely wine. Fresh, sweet with some very slight mintiness. Dry finish and it would go beautifully with food. Very long. One of my favourite wines in this collection. Is it the Cinsault I like so much? 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	18.5 (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £350.40
Musar Red 1999 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £756.00
1999	Musar Red 1999 (6x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18.5) ‘An exceptional year’, with a dry winter, fresh spring, good flowering. Mild summer with a cloudy July and August, and a hot, sunny September. Bright garnet. Pale rim. Broad and rich with a minty note. More mainstream than many in terms of its build and flavours. Still evolving but beautifully balanced. Lots of energy and transparency. No heaviness at all. Rich but lifted. Already gorgeous but there are tannins behind the exotic fruit and brilliant freshness. Still quite youthful. 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	18.5 (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £756.00
Musar Red 2004 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £439.67
2004	Musar Red 2004 (6x75cl) Wine Advocate (91) The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar. The complicated aging process is best described by the winery: “The wines spent nine months in cement vats and then a year in French Nevers oak barrels and the final blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan rested for another nine months in vats before being bottled?“ The winery describes this as a once-in-a-decade vintage where a heat wave caused notable increases in sugar content in a short time. I sometimes find that is a dangerous description of vineyard conditions with many risks for a winery, but it seems to have turned out well. If you’re comparing, it adds two layers of depth to the 2007 Hochar, although it is quite elegant and graceful in its own right. Most importantly, it has more of an obvious backbone even though it is late-released. Its balance, combining the nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is delicious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremarkable, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will certainly do better with food. Drink now-2021. 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	91 (WA) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £439.67
Musar Red 2014 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £246.47
2014	Musar Red 2014 (6x75cl) Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 5-7 weeks	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	24	-	Inc. VAT: £246.47
Musar White 2003 (12x75cl) Inc. VAT: £746.14
2003	Musar White 2003 (12x75cl) 2 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	12x75cl	2	-	Inc. VAT: £746.14
Musar White 2006 (12x75cl) Inc. VAT: £357.34
2006	Musar White 2006 (12x75cl) As per photos ,1946332 - Signs of leaking not SIB Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 3-4 weeks	Bekaa Valley	12x75cl	1	-	Inc. VAT: £357.34

Year	Wine	Region	Format	Qty	Score	Price
Musar Red 1980 (1x75cl) Inc. VAT: £314.40
1980	Musar Red 1980 (1x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18+) Marked bottle deposit on the shoulder. Pale rust red. Hint of decay on the nose which may well be cork-related (although the cork itself smells clean). Very vigorous, palate-grabbing start. This is full of life with light tannins on the end. Very impressive in many ways even if it’s still quite youthful. Really very difficult to assign a score to. I’d love to taste another bottle of this to assess whether that slightly note of decay is because of the wine or the cork. Wonderfully impressive in every respect other than this (which I will ignore in choosing my score) and this tastes as though it has a great future. The note of decay dissipated. As per photos ,2006058 - Not SIB, Repack, Damaged cap, Low level, Stained label Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 3-4 weeks	Bekaa Valley	1x75cl	1	18+ (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £314.40
Musar Red 1990 (1x75cl) Inc. VAT: £276.00
1990	Musar Red 1990 (1x75cl) As per photos Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 5-7 weeks	Bekaa Valley	1x75cl	1	-	Inc. VAT: £276.00
Musar Red 1998 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £350.40
1998	Musar Red 1998 (6x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18.5) Pale, particularly bright garnet. Light, spicy, particularly well-integrated nose. Already well developed. Sweet start and very nicely mature. Seems just right now. The opposite of heavy. Lifted, jewel-bright. Really lovely wine. Fresh, sweet with some very slight mintiness. Dry finish and it would go beautifully with food. Very long. One of my favourite wines in this collection. Is it the Cinsault I like so much? 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	18.5 (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £350.40
Musar Red 1999 (6x75cl) Inc. VAT: £756.00
1999	Musar Red 1999 (6x75cl) Jancis Robinson (18.5) ‘An exceptional year’, with a dry winter, fresh spring, good flowering. Mild summer with a cloudy July and August, and a hot, sunny September. Bright garnet. Pale rim. Broad and rich with a minty note. More mainstream than many in terms of its build and flavours. Still evolving but beautifully balanced. Lots of energy and transparency. No heaviness at all. Rich but lifted. Already gorgeous but there are tannins behind the exotic fruit and brilliant freshness. Still quite youthful. 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	18.5 (JR) Read Review/Description	Inc. VAT: £756.00
Musar Red 2004 (6x75cl) In Bond: £353.00
2004	Musar Red 2004 (6x75cl) Wine Advocate (91) The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar. The complicated aging process is best described by the winery: “The wines spent nine months in cement vats and then a year in French Nevers oak barrels and the final blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan rested for another nine months in vats before being bottled?“ The winery describes this as a once-in-a-decade vintage where a heat wave caused notable increases in sugar content in a short time. I sometimes find that is a dangerous description of vineyard conditions with many risks for a winery, but it seems to have turned out well. If you’re comparing, it adds two layers of depth to the 2007 Hochar, although it is quite elegant and graceful in its own right. Most importantly, it has more of an obvious backbone even though it is late-released. Its balance, combining the nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is delicious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremarkable, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will certainly do better with food. Drink now-2021. 1 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	1	91 (WA) Read Review/Description	In Bond: £353.00
Musar Red 2014 (6x75cl) In Bond: £192.00
2014	Musar Red 2014 (6x75cl) Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 5-7 weeks	Bekaa Valley	6x75cl	24	-	In Bond: £192.00
Musar White 2003 (12x75cl) In Bond: £595.00
2003	Musar White 2003 (12x75cl) 2 In Stock - Immediate Delivery	Bekaa Valley	12x75cl	2	-	In Bond: £595.00
Musar White 2006 (12x75cl) In Bond: £271.00
2006	Musar White 2006 (12x75cl) As per photos ,1946332 - Signs of leaking not SIB Estimated Arrival to United Kingdom: 3-4 weeks	Bekaa Valley	12x75cl	1	-	In Bond: £271.00

Chateau Musar

Jancis Robinson (18+)

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Wine Advocate (91)

Jancis Robinson (18+)

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Wine Advocate (91)