Meeting 311 - The Wines of Château Musar Speaker: Ralph Hochar
Held
at Waltham St Lawrence
Château Musar was established in 1930 by the Lebanese business man Gaston Hochar
in an 18th Century castle in the town of Ghazid 15 miles north of Beirut. His first vintage was 1933.
His eldest son, Serge took over in 1958 and gradually expanded the winery and saw it through the civil war in the 1970's
and 80's. The UK was introduced to Château Musar by Serge at the 1979 Bristol Wine Fair. Since then the UK has been a major
importer of the Château's annual production of half a million bottles.
It was a pleasure to have Ralph, a third generation Hochar, to present some of the Musar
wines and to explain the philosophy of the wine production which releases none of its wine in under 3 years and most of it
in 5 to 7 years.
The Wines: The aperitif was the Hochar 2004 Rosé which is a blend of Obaideh and Merwah: both ancient
indigenous grape varieties of Lebanon. Very pale and almost a light rust colour, the wine was fragrant and quite full bodied for
a Rosé. There followed two Hochar Père et Fils series wines, the 2004 Rosé and the Musar Red 2002. The Rosé had good cherry fruit
and a refreshing acidity on the finish, while the Red, which was a mixture of cabernet sauvignon , cinsault and
carignan with a little grenache, had good damson and plumy fruit with firm tannins and a fresh long finish.
We then had the opportunity of a vertical tasting of 5 years Musar Reds : 2000, 1999, 1998,
1997 and 1991.
The 2000 had a maroon colour and a nose and taste almost 'Burgundian' in style. By contrast the 1999
looked much younger and had a 'Bordeaux' style and is a good reflection of an exceptional year. The 1998 and
1997 were a contrasting pair. While the 1998 was a delightful combination of tobacco, spice and herbs on the
nose and a palate of soft tannins and fruit and is perfect for drinking now, the older 1997 was quite raw
with rather firm tannins that would not be at its best for some time yet.
The final wine was a Musar White 2000. Made from Obaideh and Merwah grapes, it had a complex,
soft fruit, almond and herby quality that might be a bit overpowering for those expecting an easy drinking white.
The Food: The Lebanese and Middle Eastern matching food which accompanied the tasting was superbly selected and
prepared by Charlotte. We were provided with Mezze Flatbread, Grilled Mequez Sausage, Aubergine Hummus and
Red Onion and Pepper Strips to be nibbled with the tasting wines. The main course consisted of butterflied
Roast Leg of Lamb, served with Winter Tabbouleh and grated Carrot Salad accompanied by the Père et Fils 2002
supper wine which we had tasted earlier. For dessert, Charlotte prepared a Blood Orange and Rosewater Sorbet
and a Walnut, Lemon and Cardamom Cake.
A full description of the food is given in Charlotte's Notes.
| Aperitif | Price inc VAT & 10% discount |
| Chateau Musar Rose 2004 | £12.52 |
| The Red/Rose Wines | |
| Hochar Père et Fils Rose 2004 | £10.43 |
| Hochar Père et Fils Red 2002 | £10.43 |
| Chateau Musar Red 2000 | £16.82 |
| Chateau Musar Red 1999 | £18.26 |
| Chateau Musar Red 1998 | £18.91 |
| Chateau Musar Red 1997 | £23.48 |
| Chateau Musar Red 1991 | £39.13 |
| The White Wine | |
| Chateau Musar White 2000 | £14.35 |