Tim Atkin MW (93)

One of my "go to" wines when I see it on a restaurant wine list, this intensely perfumed Syrah comes from seven vineyards, mostly on schist soils. Made with 90% whole bunches, it has more tannin than you think at first, layers of spice, violet and blackberry fruit and a refreshing tang.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Wine Enthusiast (91)

Exceptional concentration, structure and balance mark this 11-year old blend of Cab, Cinsault and Carignan that's ripe with cassis and plums and a plume of smoke, earth and barnyard funk. Tannins subdued into a powdery softness, it's elegantly textured yet full and forward with a rich, layered complexity.

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.

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.

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.

Vinous (91)

The 2018 Château Musar opens with candied red fruits, white mushrooms, leather and spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, moderately concentrated and round, the 2018 is a delightful Musar. A touch of heat emerges on the savoury finale.

Christian Eedes (94)

Grapes from multiple blocks on the farm, each with a slightly different soil structure but essentially granite based. Limited whole-bunch fermentation. Matured for 11 months in 228-litre barrels, 29% new. Exotic aromatics of red and black berries, orange, earth and a touch of reduction. Impressive depth of fruit, bright acidity and fine-grained, tight-knit tannins. Rich but balanced, this is Pinot at its most seductive. Alc: 14%.

Wine Advocate (89)

The 1991 Vintage Port is flattering and precocious for its vintage. It offers generous levels of sweet black fruits, full body, a velvety, supple texture, and a fine finish. Drink it over the next 20 years.

Wine Spectator (90)

This builds on your palate into super, well-constructed, balanced Port. Wonderful floral and fruit aromas, like walking into a lovely florist shop. Full in body, medium-sweet, loads of tannins and long, peppery, fruity finish. Give it time. Best after 2002. -JS

Greg Sherwood MW (97-99)

This lovely signature Niepoort 2019 vintage Port apparently has higher tannins than the famed 2017, but at this youthful stage, it is hard to comprehend this with its rich, accessible, voluptuous layers of silky, juicy soft black fruits. Benchmark certainly, a notable success – absolutely. The aromatics are so much more important than the palate flavours at this early blending phase (according to Dirk) and this enticing 2019 shows attractive notes of sweet sun ripened black berry fruits, hints of creamy molasses, savoury black stewed winter orchard fruits and a dusty, stony, smoked cigars complexity. Beautifully silky, supple and textured, there is also a fine, stony, grippy mineral tannin mouthfeel that lends a wonderful frame for the juicy blue and black berry fruit finery to be displayed. Fabulously drinkable, deliciously fresh and vibrant, but eminently bold and characterful, this is certainly another very accomplished wine from the House of Niepoort. (Residual Sugar: 88 g/l RS)