Chateau Musar White

The Man… In one afternoon Serge Hochar made me a better wine taster. His focus and insistence on devoting total attention to the dozen Musar wines that we were evaluating showed a level of professionalism and dedication to exploring the true nature of wine. He was using five senses (maybe more, he could be some sort of alien SuperTaster) to assess wine. In fact, he spoke of the need for mental clarity and calm observation to taste accurately. To silence the mental and actual chatter for moments of listening to what a wine is. I left the table knowing Chateau Musar, having a certainty about the core of what is accomplishable at this legendary estate.

 The Land… The Bekaa valley of Lebanon has been planted with vines for at least 6,000 years. The Romans built impressive temples to Bacchus in this region. Mountains make great wine possible at Chateau Musar. The estate’s vines are located at over 3,000 feet above sea level, and are shielded from inclement weather by the arc of mountain behind them.

The Wine… The Hochar family make every effort to produce wine in a completely natural way, hence the wonderful living evolution these wines go through over the course of decades. Their wine is made in the Mzar Castel, a 17th century pad overlooking the Mediterranean that Gaston Hochar acquired in the 1930s. The red wine made at the estate today is a blend of Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault. All fruit for this wine is handpicked in the cool morning hours. It is farmed and vinified without chemicals except for small amounts of sulfur. It seems Gaston spent some time in France. Today Serge Hochar ages his red wine for at least seven years prior to release.