TNR: 2006 Chateau Musar Red

Any recent notes would be appreciated. Looking for gifts for a few Lebanese friends.

TIA,
Otto

The 2010 Musar blanc is pretty darned good. Haven’t had the '06 red; sorry.

I absolutely love the '06. I think it’s one of the best young vintages of Musar, followed closely by the 2010. It handles air very well, shows more than just primary fruit with that tertiary soy character that Musar gets over time. It has decades ahead of it. While I don’t think you can go wrong with any Musar, I can particularly recommend the '06.

Haven’t had the 2006 for a couple of years now, unfortunately. Last time 2 years ago.

However, it is a very atypical vintage. Normally Musar releases their reds at 7 years of age, but I remember waiting this vintage after 2005, but it never arrived. 2007 came at some point. Then 2008. Then 2009. This vintage was released only in the spring 2017, 10½ years after the vintage.

Curiously, the grapes for the wine were harvested in very volatile conditions as Hezbollah and Israel went into war in the summer of 2006. For reasons probably unrelated, the wine was still in shambles after the normal 7 years of aging, so the winery decided to forgo the release until the wine seemed ready.

I first tried the wine upon release felt surprisingly overripe and raisiny, very unlike a typical fresh Musar release. The second bottle I tasted was a bit better composed, but still failed to impress, lacking the depth and charm of better vintages. The third bottle I tasted was very reticent and almost completely mute, so I suspect it suffered from a very minor case of TCA - not enough to make the wine feel corked, just to kill the fruit.

So three times I’ve drunk the wine and it has yet to convince me. I don’t think it’s a bad vintage (unlike 2007, which is probably my least favorite vintage post-millennium), but nothing particularly special. When looking at vintages from 2005 onward, I’d say 2006 and 2007 are those I’d avoid. Haven’t been particularly enamored by the 2012, either, even though I find it more enjoyable than 2006 or 2007.

And knowing Musar’s notoriety in bottle variation, it’s always possible that I’ve just had a streak of bad 2006 bottles!

As Otto mentioned it was released late. One of the family told me at a tasting it was unusually closed and backwards for a long time so they decided to skip it for a while and release other vintages in the mean time.

If you can secure the 2008’s I found them to be more typical and was lovely the last bottle I opened.

Tracker is favorable on the wine and better average than vintages before and after.

That is why I picked that particular vintage. Never had the wine, myself.

With all those reviews it must be pretty reliable. If it was 10 reviews probably not. I was hoping to see someone I am following that reviewed but none came up.

Although there are lots of reviews in CT, I always wouldn’t trust the CT average. Especially with Musar you can have notes like “My first Lebanese wine ever! Exceptional, nothing I’ve had before. 95 pts.” - and that could be for the lousiest vintage. Had there been any other vintages to taste at the same time, most likely this “exceptional” wine wouldn’t have been rated as high.

I’ve had about 100 bottles of Musar and most in vertical tasting settings, and in these 2006 has never left a particularly lasting impression. However, I’d also vouch for the 2008 vintage Kirk mentioned above. I’ve had it three times in vertical tastings and apart from one corked bottle, always a very impressive showing.

Hi Otto,

Some suggestions on Musar. I’m no expert so all this is IMHO. Take a look at the 1999. Here’s a source in CA that might have half bottles Chateau Musar by Gaston Hochar 1999 375ml – Mission Wine & Spirits

Also the vintages in the early 2000’s are worth a look and may be more approaching peak. I recommend advising your friends to decant possibly up to a few hours regardless of vintage, if they are new to Musar.

Cheers

-Jim

Far from it. I’d say at 20 years of age they’re probably half way there. Some early-maturing vintages might be inching towards full maturity, but most vintages of Musar can easily improve for 40-50 years. But nevertheless, most if not all are starting to drink wonderfully and especially that 1999 you mentioned is consistently superb.

I agree, 2008 is a very nice recent vintage.

If you do go older, 1999 is fantastic.

Yeah. I’m proooobably going with Otto on this one vs. Random CT scores

Not to thread drift too much…but have you by chance tried the 2010 Otto?

Indeed I have, twice. It’s once again a slightly more volatile vintage - not to the extent of the 1995, which always sticks out in a vertical tasting, but somewhat volatile all the same.

The first time the wine was very impressive and promising, coming across as very similar to the terrific 2008 vintage. The second time the VA was more pronounced, taking a minor toll on the score. I don’t know if there is some bottle variation going on or if the wine had evolved into this direction.

Anyways, here are my two notes:

• 2010 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (25.10.2019)
  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2010 in Beqaa was very dry to boot with very little snow or rain during January and February. Very promising spring was followed by a 3-week heat wave starting in mid-July, reaching peak temperatures of 48,5°C, causing the vines to shut and drying the grapes on the vine. Carignan and Cinsaut survived the heat wave quite well, but Cabernet Sauvignon was badly affected, making the harvest very small in part of very limited quantities of high-quality Cabernet grapes. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 2010 Musar was made in very limited quantity due to the small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon available. 13,5% alcohol, 2 g/l residual sugar and 6,3 g/l acidity. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.

Deep, concentrated and somewhat opaque black cherry color. Savory, dusty and somewhat restrained nose with dark-toned aromas of wizened forest fruits and some dried figs, a little bit of crunchy chokeberry, light lifted notes of balsamic VA, a herbaceous hint of leafy greenness and a touch of sweet exotic spices. The nose seemed to slowly open in the glass, but overall this wine feels like it really needs air to open up properly. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite tightly-knit on the palate with flavors of ripe black raspberries, fresh red plums, some leathery funk, a little bit of wild strawberry, light autumnal notes of earth and leaves, a sanguine hint of iron and a lifted touch of nail polish VA. The wine is impressively structured - even for a Musar - with its high acidity and quite assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is firm, juicy and lengthy with long flavors of sunny dark fruits, sour cherry bitterness, some wizened forest fruits, a little bit of blood, light brambly notes of raspberries, a hint of leather and a touch of dried figs.

A very beautiful, attractive and noticeably tightly-knit vintage of Musar that shows those slightly lifted and funky undertones typical of the winery, but also remarkably fresh, savory and structure-driven character for such a hot vintage. Although Musar is supposed to be released from the winery only when the wine is deemed “ready” and this 2010 was a late release (released after the softer 2011 vintage) this is still a remarkably backward effort that feels less accessible than the surrounding vintages. This vintage is definitely for cellar, not for immediate consumption. Some people might find the fruitier and more approachable vintages more enjoyable, but for me this is hands down one of the greatest recent vintages of Musar. Definitely a wine for the long haul. Absolutely terrific value at 41,95€. (94 pts.)

• 2010 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (27.8.2020)
  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2010 in Beqaa was very dry to boot with very little snow or rain during January and February. Very promising spring was followed by a 3-week heat wave starting in mid-July, reaching peak temperatures of 48,5°C, causing the vines to shut and drying the grapes on the vine. Carignan and Cinsaut survived the heat wave quite well, but Cabernet Sauvignon was badly affected, making the harvest very small in part of very limited quantities of high-quality Cabernet grapes. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in 2012, left to marry for a year and bottled in 2013. 2010 Musar was made in very limited quantity due to the small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon available. 13,5% alcohol, 2 g/l residual sugar and 6,3 g/l acidity. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.

Deep, somewhat developed and slightly translucent blackish-red color with subtle maroon highlights. The nose of complex, somewhat sweet-toned and more volatile than previously (last sampled a year ago) with aromas of wizened dark berries and dried figs, some lifted notes of nail polish, a little bit of savory meatiness, light notes of exotic spices, sweet hints of ripe red plums and even some raisiny fruit and a touch of acetic VA. The wine is ripe, juicy and moderately volatile on the palate with a quite full body and intense flavors of sweet black cherries, some wizened dark fruits, light earthy notes, a little bit of fresh blackcurrant, lifted hints of nail polish and balsamic VA and a funky touch of leather. The wine is rather structured and surprisingly tightly-knit with its high acidity and quite assertive, firm tannins. The finish is juicy, long and quite tannic with intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some pruney dark fruit, light iron notes of blood, a little bit of meaty umami and game, a hint of dried dates and a lifted touch of balsamic VA.

Just like the previous time, this vintage came across as still very youthful and rather tightly-knit in style, feeling almost too young for current enjoyment. However, compared to my previous experience with this vintage, this bottle came across as somewhat more volatile, having more pronounced notes of lifted nail polish character and the balsamic notes at times coming across even as slightly acetic, not just rich and savory. I wonder if there is just some bottle variation (definitely not unheard-of when it comes to Ch. Musar) or if this vintage is slowly turning into that direction? Although I still loved the structure-driven style here, the heavier emphasis on the VA made this wine feel slightly less impressive than previously. I need to keep a close eye on this one, since initially this felt a very promising vintage that is really built for the long haul, but I might need to re-evaluate my assessment if the wine is starting to take a turn to a more lifted, volatile style. Nevertheless, at 41,95€ this wine is a great purchase for the price. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Super helpful buddy - thank you very much!

Sons Birth-year so I need to get my hands on some

Thanks all for your help. I went with Otto’s advice and got the 2010. If anyone else is interested, Liquor Barn in IL has them for $55.

Thanks,
Otto

I‘ve had the 2006 Musar three times, the last in late spring this year. Harvest conditions where difficult that year as several have pointed out. In my experience it is a more quiet version of Musar, not as bright and extroverted but rather shy and austere, but with a rare freshness for Musar. I did buy half a case and must say it matures quite satisfyingly. Not sure how long it will last, but so far it has been a pleasure at every encounter.

It seems like whether you like the 2006 depends a little bit on VA tolerance. For example, I absolutely love the '95, and so I was very excited when the '06 had a similar release strategy and flavor profile. If you’re extra sensitive to VA, it’s maybe not the vintage for you. (But then again, all Musar has a little VA, so it’s a question of degrees.)