2018 Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Rouge
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | Lebanon |
| Region | |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
| Drink window | 2024 - 2040 |
- Buy 6 for 47.95 39.63 each and save 6%
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Backorder Information
It is possible to order this article in backorder. This is possible with items that we can generally have in stock again in 3-5 working days. You can simply order it, but it is important to mention that we only send the order when it is complete.
Description
Chateau Musar is considered one of the most special wine estates in the world. On the one hand, it is the location, the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, on the other hand, they still use a completely traditional method. The vineyards are located on siliceous limestone-clay soils at an altitude of around 1000 metres. The long, warm summers guarantee excellent ripening of the grapes. Owner Serge Hochar, who was previously named Winemaker of the Year by the English magazine Decanter Magazine, also received his wine training in France.
2018 started with an impressive amount of rain and snow, with 355mm in January, while February also saw a well above average rainfall of 162ml. March and April saw considerably less rain than in the previous months and the unexpected rise in temperatures after 15th April saw the vines slowly open up. May and June were relatively wet during the flowering period. The vines enjoyed the damp conditions and the harvest looked promising. July was dry as usual with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. August even saw a three day heatwave with temperatures around 39-40 degrees.
Cinsault was the first to be harvested on September 4th and the grapes were dry with a high sugar concentration. This had never happened before in the Cinsault vineyards of Musar vineyards, showing that no grape can escape the changing climatic conditions, every year is different and unique.
Musar Red 2018 is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. Each grape variety was fermented with its own natural yeasts in concrete vats, after which the base wines were aged for 12 months in French Nevers oak barrels. The fermentation of the red grapes was challenging this year: Cabernet Sauvignon was ready first without too much effort, while Cinsault and Carignan needed more attention to keep the fermentation going until the last gram of sugar. The malolactic fermentation of these two grapes was still not finished 3 months after the start of the harvest, a reminder of the very delicate fermentation and the special character of Cinsault. This vintage was bottled in the summer months of July and August 2021, without filtration and clarification. The bottles rested for approximately 3 years in the Musar cellars after bottling.
Delicious to drink now, but as with all Musars, this wine can also age wonderfully.
FACT: Under the tab: Attachment you will find the official factsheet of this wine. We will automatically send you this digitally when you order this wine
Specifications
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | Lebanon |
| Region | Bekaa-vallei |
| Winery | Chateau Musar |
| Grape | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Drinking as of | 2024 |
| Drinking till | 2040 |
| Alcohol % | 14 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Promotion | Tier Price |
| Vinous rating | 90 |
| Tasting Profiles | Aards, Complex, Donker fruit, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Professional Reviews
Vinous
90
Drinking Window
2023 - 2040
From: Cellar Favorite: 1960, 1974 and New Releases of Château Musar (Apr 2023)
The 2017 Château Musar has a perfumed bouquet with well-defined plummy red fruit, fireside embers and pressed flower scents. A hint of VA in the background gives the aromatics a welcome kick. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and well-judged acidity, harmonious, not powerful, yet full of flavor. A pleasing bitterness surfaces towards the finish, with moderate persistence and a residual white pepper tang lingering in the mouth. Very nice.
- By Neal Martin on April 2023
Château Musar is a remarkable estate that gained prominence thanks to the late Serge Hochar, a remarkable man who died tragically in 2015 after a swimming accident in Mexico.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
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Wijnhuis
Winemaking in Lebanon is far from a modern phenomenon. In the Beqaa Valley, evidence of wine production dates back to the Bronze Age, with the Phoenicians being among the earliest to cultivate vineyards. The famous Bacchus Temple in Baalbek also stands as a testament to the Roman's involvement in winemaking in the region.
Château Musar: a legacy of winemaking in Lebanon
The Beqaa Valley is an ideal location for grape cultivation. The valley is about eight kilometers wide and situated between two mountain ranges at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters. This high altitude creates a unique microclimate where the intense heat of the day is offset by cool nights, allowing the grapes to retain their fruity aromas. Additionally, meltwater from the mountains ensures a reliable water supply, while the soil—comprising loam, pebbles, and gray limestone—provides a healthy environment for the vines.
Despite the ongoing conflict in the region, winemaking has persisted. The only exceptions were during the years 1976 and 1984, when war prevented wine production. Grapes had to be transported nearly 100 kilometers through conflict zones to reach the winery, located just north of Beirut.
The revival of Lebanese winemaking because of Château Musar
After a long hiatus due to Islamic rule, which imposed a ban on alcohol production for over a thousand years, winemaking in Lebanon was revived by Jesuit priests in 1857. In 1930, Gaston Hochar founded Château Musar during the French mandate period. He sourced grapes from the Beqaa Valley and established a winery and cellar on the western slopes of Mount Lebanon, in Ghazir, just north of Beirut. Hochar received guidance from French professors in setting up his winery.
The Influence of Serge Hochar
Gaston Hochar's son, Serge, played a pivotal role in bringing Château Musar to global recognition. After training at Château Langoa-Barton in Bordeaux, Serge Hochar developed his own philosophy of winemaking. He favored a unique blend, combining the firm and robust structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the fruit-forward character of Rhône varietals such as Carignan and Cinsault—a blend rarely seen elsewhere.
Serge Hochar was committed to natural winemaking techniques, using wild yeasts, avoiding fining and filtering, and famously describing his wines as "wines without makeup." The red wines from Château Musar are aged for an average of 12 months in French oak barrels that are not toasted, followed by several years of cellar aging. The final blend is determined purely by taste, with each vintage offering distinct characteristics.
The unique style of Château Musar wines
The red Château Musar is an exceptional and traditional wine, often considered old-fashioned in style. Its color is never truly dark, usually exhibiting a brownish hue, with notes of spices and a subtle herbal quality in both aroma and flavor. These wines have remarkable aging potential, with Serge Hochar recommending they be enjoyed at their peak after 15 years. Each vintage reflects its own personality, and the wines are renowned for their distinctive character and ability to age gracefully.
Château Musar continues to be celebrated worldwide for its commitment to tradition and unique winemaking approach.
Chateau Musar is considered one of the most special wine estates in the world. On the one hand, it is the location, the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, on the other hand, they still use a completely traditional method. The vineyards are located on siliceous limestone-clay soils at an altitude of around 1000 metres. The long, warm summers guarantee excellent ripening of the grapes. Owner Serge Hochar, who was previously named Winemaker of the Year by the English magazine Decanter Magazine, also received his wine training in France.
2018 started with an impressive amount of rain and snow, with 355mm in January, while February also saw a well above average rainfall of 162ml. March and April saw considerably less rain than in the previous months and the unexpected rise in temperatures after 15th April saw the vines slowly open up. May and June were relatively wet during the flowering period. The vines enjoyed the damp conditions and the harvest looked promising. July was dry as usual with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. August even saw a three day heatwave with temperatures around 39-40 degrees.
Cinsault was the first to be harvested on September 4th and the grapes were dry with a high sugar concentration. This had never happened before in the Cinsault vineyards of Musar vineyards, showing that no grape can escape the changing climatic conditions, every year is different and unique.
Musar Red 2018 is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. Each grape variety was fermented with its own natural yeasts in concrete vats, after which the base wines were aged for 12 months in French Nevers oak barrels. The fermentation of the red grapes was challenging this year: Cabernet Sauvignon was ready first without too much effort, while Cinsault and Carignan needed more attention to keep the fermentation going until the last gram of sugar. The malolactic fermentation of these two grapes was still not finished 3 months after the start of the harvest, a reminder of the very delicate fermentation and the special character of Cinsault. This vintage was bottled in the summer months of July and August 2021, without filtration and clarification. The bottles rested for approximately 3 years in the Musar cellars after bottling.
Delicious to drink now, but as with all Musars, this wine can also age wonderfully.
FACT: Under the tab: Attachment you will find the official factsheet of this wine. We will automatically send you this digitally when you order this wine
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | Lebanon |
| Region | Bekaa-vallei |
| Winery | Chateau Musar |
| Grape | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Drinking as of | 2024 |
| Drinking till | 2040 |
| Alcohol % | 14 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Promotion | Tier Price |
| Vinous rating | 90 |
| Tasting Profiles | Aards, Complex, Donker fruit, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Vinous
90
Drinking Window
2023 - 2040
From: Cellar Favorite: 1960, 1974 and New Releases of Château Musar (Apr 2023)
The 2017 Château Musar has a perfumed bouquet with well-defined plummy red fruit, fireside embers and pressed flower scents. A hint of VA in the background gives the aromatics a welcome kick. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and well-judged acidity, harmonious, not powerful, yet full of flavor. A pleasing bitterness surfaces towards the finish, with moderate persistence and a residual white pepper tang lingering in the mouth. Very nice.
- By Neal Martin on April 2023
Château Musar is a remarkable estate that gained prominence thanks to the late Serge Hochar, a remarkable man who died tragically in 2015 after a swimming accident in Mexico.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
Winemaking in Lebanon is far from a modern phenomenon. In the Beqaa Valley, evidence of wine production dates back to the Bronze Age, with the Phoenicians being among the earliest to cultivate vineyards. The famous Bacchus Temple in Baalbek also stands as a testament to the Roman's involvement in winemaking in the region.
Château Musar: a legacy of winemaking in Lebanon
The Beqaa Valley is an ideal location for grape cultivation. The valley is about eight kilometers wide and situated between two mountain ranges at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters. This high altitude creates a unique microclimate where the intense heat of the day is offset by cool nights, allowing the grapes to retain their fruity aromas. Additionally, meltwater from the mountains ensures a reliable water supply, while the soil—comprising loam, pebbles, and gray limestone—provides a healthy environment for the vines.
Despite the ongoing conflict in the region, winemaking has persisted. The only exceptions were during the years 1976 and 1984, when war prevented wine production. Grapes had to be transported nearly 100 kilometers through conflict zones to reach the winery, located just north of Beirut.
The revival of Lebanese winemaking because of Château Musar
After a long hiatus due to Islamic rule, which imposed a ban on alcohol production for over a thousand years, winemaking in Lebanon was revived by Jesuit priests in 1857. In 1930, Gaston Hochar founded Château Musar during the French mandate period. He sourced grapes from the Beqaa Valley and established a winery and cellar on the western slopes of Mount Lebanon, in Ghazir, just north of Beirut. Hochar received guidance from French professors in setting up his winery.
The Influence of Serge Hochar
Gaston Hochar's son, Serge, played a pivotal role in bringing Château Musar to global recognition. After training at Château Langoa-Barton in Bordeaux, Serge Hochar developed his own philosophy of winemaking. He favored a unique blend, combining the firm and robust structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the fruit-forward character of Rhône varietals such as Carignan and Cinsault—a blend rarely seen elsewhere.
Serge Hochar was committed to natural winemaking techniques, using wild yeasts, avoiding fining and filtering, and famously describing his wines as "wines without makeup." The red wines from Château Musar are aged for an average of 12 months in French oak barrels that are not toasted, followed by several years of cellar aging. The final blend is determined purely by taste, with each vintage offering distinct characteristics.
The unique style of Château Musar wines
The red Château Musar is an exceptional and traditional wine, often considered old-fashioned in style. Its color is never truly dark, usually exhibiting a brownish hue, with notes of spices and a subtle herbal quality in both aroma and flavor. These wines have remarkable aging potential, with Serge Hochar recommending they be enjoyed at their peak after 15 years. Each vintage reflects its own personality, and the wines are renowned for their distinctive character and ability to age gracefully.
Château Musar continues to be celebrated worldwide for its commitment to tradition and unique winemaking approach.
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Backorder Information
It is possible to order this article in backorder. This is possible with items that we can generally have in stock again in 3-5 working days. You can simply order it, but it is important to mention that we only send the order when it is complete.