Chateau Musar Red, Cabernet Sauvignon/Carignan/Cinsault, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2017

Seven years in the making, Chateau Musar Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the Bekaa Valley villages of Aana and Kefraya, on gravelly soils over limestone. Planted from the 1930s onwards, yields are low from these mature bushvines (average age 40 years).

The Chateau Musar 2017 is very promising indeed. It has a bright ruby color and there are sweet red cherries, mulberries and plums on the nose with a hint of tea tree and licorice. The tannins are soft and well-integrated and this vintage has good acidity, depth of fruit and a long finish. Cellared well, it will age beautifully for decades.

The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement vats at temperatures below 30°C. Six months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels (oak from the forest of Nevers) for one year. The varietal components are brought together two years after the harvest; the resulting blend is then placed back in cement tanks before being bottled 12 months later. Each wine is blended to reflect the character of the vintage. After 4 years of bottle maturation in the deep stone cellars of Chateau Musar, the finished wines are released a full seven years after the harvest.

Bottled unfined and unfiltered, Chateau Musar Reds are suitable for vegans; they’re also richly-textured and likely to ‘throw a crust’. This is a common feature of most fine wines and is especially true of Musar Red vintages over a decade old. Ideally, bottles should be standing up the night before opening to allow the sediment to settle. After careful decanting (and discarding of sediment) the wine should be allowed to breathe for an hour and served at 18°C with roasts, grills (especially lamb), casseroles, game, and mature cheeses.