Chateau Musar Blanc 2017
IN STOCK
$69.00
The Hochar family’s philosophy of respect for the environment means that the 220 hectares of Musar vineyards are managed with minimal human interference and all the wines are made with minimal intervention.
Chateau Musar was the first producer in Lebanon to achieve organic certification for its own vineyards in 2006. Most are located in the Bekaa Valley, cradled between two mountain ranges running parallel to Lebanon’s Mediterranean coastline. Vines have been cultivated here for at least 6,000 years: the Phoenicians (seafaring ancestors of the modern Lebanese) were instrumental in bringing vines and wines from Byblos across to all of the areas around the Mediterranean.
Flanked by snow-covered mountains, and nestled at 1000m (3,000 feet) above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoilt, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined.
Seven years in the making, Chateau Musar White is a blend of ancient grape varieties Obaideh and Merwah, indigenous to the mountains of Lebanon and said to be related to Chasselas Chardonnay and Semillon. The Obaideh vineyards are in the foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountains on stony, chalky soils, while the Merwah vines are on the seaward side of Mount Lebanon, on calcareous gravels. Yields are very low for these untrained bushvines: 10 – 20 hl per hectare. At high altitude (around 1400m) they are still on their own roots, among very few vineyards in the world of this calibre.
In their youth: yellow-gold, subtly oaky, and creamy-textured, rich yet dry and intensely citrusy, with honeyed nuances. Wholly unique, the style has been described as resembling ‘dry Sauternes’ or mature white Graves. Chateau Musar Whites develop tawny hues and mellow spicy characters as they age. The cellars at Ghazir holds bottles of this wine dating as far back as 1954.
Chateau Musar Blanc 2017 is a blend of Obaideh 60% Merwah 40%. It is fermented in French oak barriques (from the forest of Nevers) for 9 months, bottled and blended at the end of its first year and released seven years after the harvest.
Concentrated and complex, Chateau Musar Whites show at their best after several hours’ ‘breathing time’, and should be served ‘cellar cool’ at around 15°C. They excel with pâtés (especially foie gras), rillettes, seafood dishes and will match spicy food as the wine has such intense flavours.
Pale lemon colour and a nose of apples, fresh hay with a hint of vanilla and grapefruit citrus notes. There are orange flower notes to the nose which follow through to the palate with sweet basil, peach and tarte tatin flavours which will develop as the wine ages. Our tastings after the harvest at the winery revealed an elegant Obaideh and a ‘wild’ Merwah, perhaps a perfect combination of styles and genuine reflection of the terroir and the ease with which they have adapted to Lebanese conditions over centuries. The 2017 vintage looks very promising; it would benefit from decanting and, cellared well, it will keep for decades. The quality of the indigenous Obaideh and Merwah exceeded our expectations this year.
Producer: Chateau Musar
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Varietal: Obaideh, Merwah
Appellation: Bekaa Valley
Vintage: 2017
Size: 750ml