【Chateau Musar, Lebanon's King of Wines】
【Lebanon's first winery to receive organic certification】
ZL002 - Musar Jeune Rouge 2022
Price: $180/bottle
Type: Red Wine
Grape Varieties: 50% Cinsault, 35% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Lebanon / Bekaa Valley
ABV: 14%
Volume: 750ml
Tasting Notes
Château Musar "Musar Jeune Rouge 2022" is an entry-level classic wine from the legendary Lebanese "King of Wines," Château Musar.
Unlike the winery's flagship wine (Chateau Musar Rouge), which requires long aging, "Jeune" means "young" in French. First launched in 2007, this wine emphasizes a modern, trendy style: no decanting required, ready to drink straight from the bottle, bursting with fruit aromas and full of vitality.
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 Château Moussa's red wines. In 1984, Serge was named Decanter magazine's "Person of the Year" 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
Fermentation takes place in cement-lined vats, without any oak barrel aging, to lock in the pure, juicy essence of the fruit to the fullest extent. The winery insists on unfined and unfiltered production, making it a vegan-friendly, natural wine.
