Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2018
2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2018
Red Blend
Chateau Musar
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Profile & Story
Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar, who planted the estate's first vines in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley while the country was under French Mandate; the French army became one of the winery's earliest major customers. Gaston's son, Serge Hochar, took over winemaking in 1959 and guided the estate through Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, becoming one of the world's most admired winemakers and establishing a philosophy of non-interventionist, natural winemaking that the Hochar family, now in its third generation, continues today. The 2018 Chateau Musar Red is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan. Each variety was fermented separately with natural yeasts in concrete vats, then aged for 12 months in French Nevers oak barrels before blending in January 2021; the wine was bottled without fining or filtration during the summer of 2021 and released in spring 2024. Alcohol is 14% by volume.
Tasting Notes
The 2018 shows a deep garnet color with aromas of dried cherries and mature red fruit. The palate is rich and concentrated, with cranberries, raisins, and dates, good acidity, and fine tannins, along with a smoky, dusty fruit character and soft liquorice undertones; already developed and mature at six years of age upon release.