【Chateau Musar, the King of Lebanese Wines】
【Lebanon's first winery to receive organic certification】
【Wine Enthusiast 95 pts】
ZL001 - Levantine de Musar 2024
Special price: $210/unit
Type：Red Wine
Grape Varieties：50% Cinsault、40% Tempranillo、10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region：Lebanon / Bekaa Valley
ABV：13.5%
Volume：750ml
Levantine de Musar is a new, lighter, and more approachable unoaked blend of red wines from the legendary Lebanese winery, Chateau Musar.
The name "Levantine" pays homage to the Levant region (the eastern Mediterranean coast) where the winery is located. Unlike the winery's traditional flagship wines, which require over a decade of aging before release, Levantine aims to showcase a fresh, fruit-rich, and modern style, perfect for drinking young.
【Winery】
Chateau Musar, one of Lebanon's most prestigious wineries, is located in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and is managed by the Hochar family.
The Hochar family's ancestors originally lived in France and settled in what is now Lebanon in the 12th century. In 1930, Gaston Hochar established Chateau Musar, influenced by Lebanon's over 6,000-year history of viticulture and winemaking, and also by his travels to Bordeaux. In 1941, Major Ronald Barton, owner of Chateau Langoa-Barton, was stationed in Lebanon and became friends with Gaston. Their relationship strengthened the connection between Chateau Musar and Bordeaux, significantly influencing the winery's winemaking style. Gaston's eldest son, Serge Hochar, was originally a civil engineer. Encouraged by his father, he decided to study oenology at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux and became the winemaker at Château Moussa in 1959. He then spent 18 years exploring and perfecting the blending ratios of the Château Moussa red wines. In 1984, Serge was named "Man of the Year" by Decanter magazine, in recognition of his continued dedication to producing high-quality red wines during the Lebanese Civil War.
【Region】
Chateau Musar's red vineyards are located at the southern end of the Bekaa Valley, north of Lake Karen, and approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Beirut. Close to the villages of Ana and Kefraia, the vineyards feature gravelly soils over limestone, ideal for viticulture. This diverse soil type and orientation contribute to the distinctive and complex character of the wines.
The grape varieties used to make Chateau Musar reds are Cabernet Sauvignon and Southern Rhône's Censor and Carignan. These vines are old and mature, yielding up to 30 to 35 hectoliters per hectare.
The two ancient indigenous white grape varieties, Obaid and Merwa, prefer cooler climates and are grown on higher hillsides at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters.
Every wine from Musar is made naturally using a "non-interventionist" winemaking philosophy. The winery was the first in Lebanon to obtain organic certification for both its Chateau Musar red and white grapes in 2006.
【Winemaking】
Abandoning oak barrels, preserving pure fruit aromas
• Concrete Eggs/Vats: After being harvested entirely by hand, the grapes undergo fermentation and short-term aging in concrete vats, without the use of any oak barrels.
• Very early bottling: This method avoids the heavy vanilla or smoky notes that oak barrels can impart, preserving to the fullest extent the pure fruit aromas brought by the Becca Valley sun and the refreshing feel of the island terroir.
