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.
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Prices:
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bekaa Valley | 2 | - |
Inc. VAT
£189.89 |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | 93 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,806.04 |
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Wine Advocate (93)The 1981 Chateau Musar is simply wonderful, a prime time wine aging brilliantly. Beautifully structured, this has silky texture, a crisp finish and good balance, notwithstanding the serious power lurking on the finish. It seems fresh, vibrant and youthful, a great food wine, not particularly fleshy, fruity or sweet, but quite lively. It was tasted twice from different bottles (with and without Hochar) and it was fascinating each time. As with many Musars, the score matters less than the style. There are certainly things going on here that will draw divided opinions. By many modern standards, the acidity level is perceptibly high. There is a bretty aspect that will certainly turn off others. Yet, this preens in its power, its complexity and its invigorating freshness. I rather loved it and it seemed quite brilliant. Drink now-2030. |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | 85 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£193.45 |
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Wine Advocate (85)The 1995 Chateau Musar represents an extreme in terms of Musar’s love-it-or-hate-it vintages. This should be far more controversial than wines such as the 1981 or 1967. Even while Serge Hochar called it “a great vintage,” he acknowledged its unusual properties. It was a relatively late harvest, for one thing. Its commercial release was delayed to the point where the 1996 was put out first. The first nuance on this was unusual sweetness. The second was obvious volatile acidity. (Indeed an earlier bottle tasted was far stronger in that regard and smelled largely of turpentine. The score is based only on the sounder bottle.) The structure here is undeniably fine, to be sure. It is powerful, fresh, young and pointed, with a surprisingly graceful feel at times. I couldn’t get past its eccentricities, though. It is a notably flawed wine that is over the line. To be sure, it does enough well – sometimes beautifully – that I can say I’d still drink it and it can’t be ignored. It will surely work better with food, too. As with most all of the wines here, this has the structure to preserve it a good long while, but whether you really want to cellar this a long time may be another story. Drink now. |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | 17.5 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£150.80 |
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Jancis Robinson (17.5)Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Syrah. Deep ruby with a bricky rim. Decanted. Beautifully scented with the Cinsault (an orange character) and not dominated by the Cab. Silky. elegant and long. Perfumed but not floral. Silky, fresh and perfectly clean. Transparent. Fine, dry texture but so elegant. Utterly delicious and juicy and totally de nos jours. |
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Bekaa Valley | 2 | 18.5 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£474.00 |
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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? |
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Bekaa Valley | 6 | 18.5 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£798.04 |
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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. |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£105.20 |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£235.24 |
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Bekaa Valley | 2 | 93 (FS) |
Inc. VAT
£348.04 |
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Falstaff (93)Medium carmine, garnet reflections, broad ochre rim. Smoky, spicy, red berry fruit, orange zest, a hint of nougat and liquorice, a hint of fig, cinnamon and cedar wood. Taut, tightly knit, red cherry, lively acidity, mineral and lemon on the finish, appears light-footed, animating, cool style, still very youthful and underdeveloped. |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | 91 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£289.24 |
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Decanter (91)This single-vineyard wine, from Aana, is made in a modern style: concentrated and slightly reductive. It shows notes of new oak barrels, lovely red berry fruit (reminiscent of Grenache) and garrigue aromas. So Mediterranean on the palate, with sweet tannins, spices and a meaty hint on the aftertaste. A very friendly, easy-to-drink and enjoyable wine. It becomes even better and more refined a day after the bottle is opened. I would recommend decanting it. |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£240.04 |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£900.29 |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,118.47 |
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Bekaa Valley | 2 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,388.47 |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 2 | - |
In Bond
£139.00 |
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | 93 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,489.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 1981 Chateau Musar is simply wonderful, a prime time wine aging brilliantly. Beautifully structured, this has silky texture, a crisp finish and good balance, notwithstanding the serious power lurking on the finish. It seems fresh, vibrant and youthful, a great food wine, not particularly fleshy, fruity or sweet, but quite lively. It was tasted twice from different bottles (with and without Hochar) and it was fascinating each time. As with many Musars, the score matters less than the style. There are certainly things going on here that will draw divided opinions. By many modern standards, the acidity level is perceptibly high. There is a bretty aspect that will certainly turn off others. Yet, this preens in its power, its complexity and its invigorating freshness. I rather loved it and it seemed quite brilliant. Drink now-2030. |
|||||||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | 85 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£189.60 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (85)The 1995 Chateau Musar represents an extreme in terms of Musar’s love-it-or-hate-it vintages. This should be far more controversial than wines such as the 1981 or 1967. Even while Serge Hochar called it “a great vintage,” he acknowledged its unusual properties. It was a relatively late harvest, for one thing. Its commercial release was delayed to the point where the 1996 was put out first. The first nuance on this was unusual sweetness. The second was obvious volatile acidity. (Indeed an earlier bottle tasted was far stronger in that regard and smelled largely of turpentine. The score is based only on the sounder bottle.) The structure here is undeniably fine, to be sure. It is powerful, fresh, young and pointed, with a surprisingly graceful feel at times. I couldn’t get past its eccentricities, though. It is a notably flawed wine that is over the line. To be sure, it does enough well – sometimes beautifully – that I can say I’d still drink it and it can’t be ignored. It will surely work better with food, too. As with most all of the wines here, this has the structure to preserve it a good long while, but whether you really want to cellar this a long time may be another story. Drink now. |
|||||||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | 17.5 (JR) |
In Bond
£123.00 |
|||||
Jancis Robinson (17.5)Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Syrah. Deep ruby with a bricky rim. Decanted. Beautifully scented with the Cinsault (an orange character) and not dominated by the Cab. Silky. elegant and long. Perfumed but not floral. Silky, fresh and perfectly clean. Transparent. Fine, dry texture but so elegant. Utterly delicious and juicy and totally de nos jours. |
|||||||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 2 | 18.5 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£474.00 |
|||||
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? |
|||||||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 6 | 18.5 (JR) |
In Bond
£649.00 |
|||||
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. |
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|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
In Bond
£85.00 |
|||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£216.00 |
|||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 2 | 93 (FS) |
In Bond
£274.00 |
|||||
Falstaff (93)Medium carmine, garnet reflections, broad ochre rim. Smoky, spicy, red berry fruit, orange zest, a hint of nougat and liquorice, a hint of fig, cinnamon and cedar wood. Taut, tightly knit, red cherry, lively acidity, mineral and lemon on the finish, appears light-footed, animating, cool style, still very youthful and underdeveloped. |
|||||||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | 91 (DC) |
In Bond
£225.00 |
|||||
Decanter (91)This single-vineyard wine, from Aana, is made in a modern style: concentrated and slightly reductive. It shows notes of new oak barrels, lovely red berry fruit (reminiscent of Grenache) and garrigue aromas. So Mediterranean on the palate, with sweet tannins, spices and a meaty hint on the aftertaste. A very friendly, easy-to-drink and enjoyable wine. It becomes even better and more refined a day after the bottle is opened. I would recommend decanting it. |
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|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
In Bond
£184.00 |
|||||
|
|
Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
In Bond
£731.00 |
|||||
|
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Bekaa Valley | 1 | - |
In Bond
£900.00 |
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Bekaa Valley | 2 | - |
In Bond
£1,125.00 |
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