Chateau Musar is one of those delightful oenological quirks – a remarkable wine of great style produced under extraordinarily difficult conditions in the most unlikely of places: Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
If the success of past offers is anything to go by, Musar has a huge following among Spectator readers and we’re delighted that both Chateau Musar and the Wine Company have decided to offer the latest vintage of the estate’s grand vin – the 2008 – in these pages, before anyone else in the UK has it.
Not only that, in this fascinating six-bottle selection we also have two previous fine vintages of the main wine, plus a mid-range and entry-level red and the deliciously exotic Chateau Musar white.
Let’s start with that 2007 Chateau Musar White (1). Made from a blend of Obaideh and Merwah (no, nor me), it’s fruity, complex and dry with a delicate hint of peach and honeysuckle and a lovely long savoury finish. I think it’s gorgeous and reckon the nearest familiar equivalent to it would be a fine white Rhône. £19.75 down from £21.99.
The 2012 Musar Jeune Red (2) is from the estate’s new range of young, unoaked, easydrinking wines designed for getting stuck into pronto. A familiar Musar blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s soft, smooth and deeply quaffable, full of blackberries, blackcurrants and cherries. £10.00 down from £11.99.
The 2009 Hochar Pere et Fils Rouge (3) is a small step up in quality and really rather grown up. Made from single vineyard Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, it’s aged in oak for nine months and is rich and succulent with dark fruit flavours, underpinned by a touch of spice. £12.50 down from £14.99.
And so to the mighty Musar itself. The 1999 Chateau Musar (4) is one of the very finest of recent vintages and absolutely at its peak now. It’s almost brow-furrowingly intricate, with blueberries, damsons, spice, ink, smoke and cocoa all milling around on nose and palate. It’s wonderful stuff and ready to drink this instant. £24.75 down from £29.50.
The 2004 Chateau Musar (5) is similarly multi-layered although possibly needs a wee bit longer to really hit its straps. It’s smooth and elegant, velvety and sleek, with rich, ripe, spicy dark fruit. It is utterly mouth-watering and is only going to get better. £22.50 down from £24.99.
Finally, the hot-off-the-press 2008 Chateau Musar (6). Unlike the châteaux of Bordeaux, who can’t wait to get their mitts on our money, Musar only releases its grands vins when they’re almost ready to drink.
The 2006 has yet to hit the market and other merchants are still offering the 2007 or older. We are the first in the UK to offer the 2008. And it’s a belter, with Cinsault giving ripe red fruit to the blend; Carignan giving spice and black cherry and Cabernet Sauvigon structure, finesse and elegance.
It is ready, yes, but I’d recommend sticking it away for a year or so. Either way you’ll love it! £21.00 down from £23.99.
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