Château Musar Gaston Hochar Red Lebanon
| Vintage: | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Description: | Winemaker Notes\r\n\r\n\r\nOur 2017 vintage is deep ruby in color with high viscosity. Red cherries, plums, carob and figs dominate the nose with a hint of eastern spice. Kirsch and plums follow through to the palate with blackcurrant and chocolate. The tannins are velvety soft and this wine has a lot of depth and fruit concentration with a long finish.\r\nABOUT Chateau MUSAR\u00a0\r\nKnowing about Chateau Musar takes more than a sip or a glassful, however fascinating the taste of that wine might prove to be. To know Chateau Musar takes an understanding of\u00a0terroir, of natural winemaking, of human nature and of history. All of these factors have a powerful influence over the way our wine appears in the glass \u2013 how it tastes, smells, lives, breathes and changes.\r\nThe story of Musar\u2019s survival during the Lebanese civil war of 1975 to 1990 is well documented. It was a formative time for our wine and for its creator, Serge Hochar, who was only just beginning to trust his grapes (as he famously said) to \u2018become what they wanted to be\u2019. From 1975, he had no choice. They were harvested when the shelling paused; their transit to the winery took as long as avoiding militia check-points permitted (sometimes days), and winemaking could only happen when the coast road was clear and Serge could reach the winery.\r\nThe wine he made during this time had to find its own way past the delays and disruption caused by war, and miraculously it did so. Serge called his 1982 \u2018a pure wine of war\u2019. Eighty hectares of Hochar vineyards in the Beka\u2019a Valley became the frontline for Israeli and Syrian tanks, the grapes only harvested by chance when a break in fighting allowed the loyal Bedouin grape-pickers to dash in and collect what they could. And yet the wine was to become an elegant, mellow red full of soft fruits and pomegranate charm \u2013 Andrew Jefford called it \u2018typically Musar in its enigmatic simplicity\/complexity\u2019.\r\nAnd yet the war is only a tiny part of the history that makes our wines what they are. Our Lebanese heritage, charted right the way back to Phoenician times, over 4,000 years ago, has had a dramatic influence on the way the vine is grown in our land. The Phoenicians were the first to cultivate the vine professionally and to trade wine internationally; they then taught the Greeks their oenological skills, and earned the admiration of the Romans for their links to market.\r\nOf all the history that influences us, it is the Roman temple at Ba\u2019albek that paved our way with the most authority. As Serge said: \u2018This is the only serious temple erected to Bacchus [the god of wine] anywhere in the Roman world. And they put it here, in the Beka\u2019a. Why? Because the Romans and Greeks, the Phoenicians and Minoans, and all peoples who came before them, all knew that the Beka\u2019a is the spiritual home of wine.\u2019\r\nIt is Serge\u2019s trust for his wines, rooted in history and Lebanese\u00a0terroir, that has led them to light the way for the natural wine movement. He would say: \u2018My wines are natural. I am the one who makes them, but I do not interfere with nature. Taste them and listen to them and you will see!\u2019 Serge enjoyed explaining this \u2018No Touch Policy\u2019 to anyone who would listen, and would eagerly show the incredible wines \u2013 both red and white \u2013 of complex longevity that were the result. He loved to travel, and it didn\u2019t take him long to develop a worldwide support club for Chateau Musar, with followers eager every year to find out what his new vintage would bring.\r\nThat our wines \u2013 our vintages \u2013 are shaped by time is as clear today as it ever was. Take a look at the tasting notes for 15, 20 or 30-year old Chateau Musar and you will begin to understand the elegance that it develops as it evolves in bottle. This evolution is a vitally important part of Serge\u2019s winemaking legacy, and that we, as a family, are determined to continue. |
| Price: | $ 64.99 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from BASSER’S Fine Wine
| Address: |
6240 Coral Ridge Drive Coral Springs, FL 33076 United States |
|---|---|
| Telephone (regular): | 954-840-3122 |
First added to 1000 Corks on January 17, 2024.
