Château Musar was established by Gaston Hochar in 1930 and is without doubt Lebanon's top wine estate.
The vineyards are located to the east of Beirut in the Beqaa Valley at an altitude of approximately 1000 metres - the cool nights serve to lengthen the crucial ripening process.
Chateau Musar “Red” is unique in that the varieties are aged separately in barrels for three years before blending (the 3Cs - cabernet sauvignon, carignan & cinsault); and the blend is aged for another four years prior to release. As is widely known, the wines of Ch. Musar are extremely long-lived, with the best vintages drinking well for 20-30 years.
We are delighted to offer the latest releases of Ch Musar Red & White - plus some library vintages of these iconic wines; for which you can open & enjoy much sooner!
2004, the fresher of the two, integrated tannins and silky smooth fruit making it utterly delicious. The 1998 the more traditional Musar, muscular and brooding. These two examples really show off the individual character of each vintage.
1998 Château Musar
£174 per six bottles Inc VAT
The 1998 Chateau Musar is a rather prototypical Musar – lots of acidity, some brett, fine structure. It reveals a more gentle style on opening, but aeration proves how much underlying power it actually has. (That is, a lot.) There is a good analogy here to the 1994, concerning both how they showed early on and later. There is plenty of power, tannin and acidity, but there is also some balance. I loved the silky texture, emphasized in this vintage. It finishes with a controlled bang. This greatly benefitted from some air, showing layers that I did not initially think it had, but it does seem a bit on the lighter side. Drink now-2030. (90 Points, Wine Advocate)
2004 Château Musar
£222 per six bottles Inc VAT
The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. 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. Drink now-2021. (91 Points, Wine Advocate)
2013 Château Musar
£150 per six bottles Inc VAT
£160 per three magnums Ex VAT
"The estate only releases its grand vin when it's deemed ready to drink and this is the first time that the 2013 Chateau Musar has been offered. A typical sweet/ savoury/spicy blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon, it's exclusive to readers of The Spectator until April, when it will be offered more widely and more expensively." - Jonathan Ray, The Spectator.
2012 Château Musar White
£144 per six bottles Inc VAT
"I'll be the first to admit that the 2012 Chateau Musar White is something of an acquired taste, being as it is a blend of Obaideh and Merwah, which sound more like Old Testament prophets than they do ancient indigenous grape varieties. Fermented and aged in oak, the wine is peachy, lemony and creamy and if it's like anything at all, it's like a fine white Rhône." -
Jonathan Ray, The Spectator