Chateau Musar (2006)

Musar. A wine that has survived war, commercial wilderness and even comments that it has a ‘weird, briney note to some vintages’. Why? Because it is one of the most interesting, unique and complex wines in the world. Its grapes are grown in the Bekaa valley, the ‘bread basket’ of ancient Rome, and transported over the high coastal range to Serge Hochar, son of the founder Gaston.

Overview

An astonishing year – where to start? The winter was cold in Lebanon and as has happened in the past, snow covered the Bekaa Valley for more than two weeks, leaving the soil untouched for 45 days due to the resulting mud. When spring arrived, it never ended. In 2006 we only had 10 days of our usual summer climate during the whole summer season with a maximum temperature of 30°C in the day and 22°C at night. It was an unbelievable thing to witness – as if it was a year from the 1950s when the climate was cooler, the winds more gentle and when nature was balanced ecologically… However in July 2006, without warning, Lebanon came under siege. The country was affected badly and everybody naturally thought this vintage would be lost but we continued with our harvest even though the conditions surrounding us were very difficult and dangerous. The Cabernet Sauvignon was the first to be harvested in early September followed by Carignan, then Cinsault. Acidity and alcohol levels were high, a complex year developing differently from our usual experiences with grape maturation at Chateau Musar. Our first impressions following the harvest were that the Cabernet Sauvignon was rich, full of black fruits and spices, the Cinsault a concentration of blueberry and red cherries and the Carignan had great flesh and body. All our red varietals in 2006 appeared to be very fruity and full of character and we were relieved that everything was safely gathered in against all the odds.

Grape Varietals

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan

Winemaking

The Chateau Musar Red of 2006 is our classical blend of a third each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. The blending took place three years later in 2009 and the wines spent a year in French Nevers oak barrels. The release date of this vintage however, did not happen as planned! Our policy has always been to release our Chateau reds and whites when they are ready for drinking and this is generally 7 years from the harvest, but in 2013 this wine was far from ready and needed more time. So we decided to postpone the release for one year, then another, then another until we were finally certain that the 2006 was ready for drinking in the spring of 2017.

Tasting Notes

A beautiful deep, ruby hue with lots of almost confected cherry, blackcurrant and cranberries on the nose with a hint of liquorice. The palate has an explosion of brambly and hedgerow fruits with blueberries and cherries - this is a mid-weight vintage from Chateau Musar with excellent acidity and fine tannins.

Another new chapter in terms of density of colour. For the first time (tasting from old to young) this could be described as crimson. Seriously heady! Smells exotic and mature on the nose but not on the palate. But compared with the older vintages I have just tasted this of course is a baby… Masses of concentration and allure but, although it would give pleasure, it would clearly be sensible to keep it for quite a few more years. Lovely combination of fruit and freshness. Really vivacious. Sweet and rigorous - Jancis Robinson, March 2018

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