attendees: @Dav3_Dyr0ff , @Evan_K (+1) , @phil.lukeman , @Jay_Miller , @Jeff_Grossman , @kwilhelm , @Sam_Kwak
It’s been just under 20 years since the last time we drank a whole lotta Ch. Musar. Funny to see the newest wines then have become the oldest wines tonight. And I think Jay’s bottle was bought immediately following that event so the connection goes through.
Sam is the mover and the shaker behind this event. He plans dinner at Salma, a Lebanese restaurant, of course. Then he rallies the troops for the evening call.
When we arrive we see that the owner, Pierre, has set 8 places at a table for 6 so we are all dancing very carefully at the table, tucking our elbows, reaching up and over to pass the dishes, we shift the reds to the floor while we drink the whites, we get food off the serving dishes as fast as we can (but nobody can move that much tabbouleh!). Later, when the table next to us clears out, we are able to spread out a bit and accommodate the gigantic platter of lamb, chicken, steak, kibbeh, and even more roasted meats. Everything was beautifully prepared and tasty. (And Pierre kept the pace low and slow so we had time to taste through all the wines. Speaking of which:)
Everyone at the restaurant drinks Lebanese wine – one lady even does a little private importing (labels: Massaya, Ixsir, Sept) – but all eyes on us and the phalanx of 16 vintages of Chateau Musar. Yes, the most famous wine of Lebanon; the Quirk Central of the wine world: charming reds that defy any normal wine descriptors, and whites that are bland young but develop incredible nuance and charm as they age and really shouldn’t be drunk sooner than 20 years.
The labels say to decant and serve at cellar temperature. One bottle actually specifies to use an ah-so. Is that a lack of faith in their cork supplier or a hint that you should be drinking these old?
The labels also indicate abv ranging from 12.5% to 14% in the later years.
We start at the pale end of the spectrum. Wines were poured in pairs except for the final three.
Lebanese but not Musar
Dom. des Tourelles 2021 Merweh and Obeidi VV - 50-50 blend, brought along for comparison as this is the same cepage as Musar blanc; nice, touch of waxiness, a bit Rhone-like, long finish of lime and lime pith, worth the pour
Musar Rose
2018 - a rarity in my book; the palest possible pink (even the young whites have more color), good zip, pale cherry kirsch flavor, a serviceable rose in a Mediterranean motif
Musar Blanc
2013 - ah, already much more interesting than the rose (and we are only at the beginning), just the right edge of bitterness to balance the orange and lemon flavors, first wine and already a favorite
2010 - this is quite duller than the '13, I thought I got a whiff of cork so is it scalped?
2001 - also quiet with fairly mild acids, “dead on the nose buy honeyed on the palate” -Dave; I think he’s an optimist
1995 - OK, no more quiet: full-flavored, old delicate flavors but a ton of them, all delivered with silky thrust, finish is incredibly long and vibrant, wow // revisited 2 hrs later and it’s starting to come apart
Musar Rouge
2016 - medium weight, gorgeous raspberry/cherry, I guess this is Musar before the flaws show up to make it more interesting :^), but if you like young wine this is good now
2005 - VA in the nose, maybe continuing on to VB and VC, too; continues into the palate; with some swirling, there is now some cranberry mixed into the Miss Revlon; dare I say that it is typique but not a great drink tonight
2004 - here is a terrific wine but a bit too young!: darker-red fruits (mulberries and black raspberries) and some unresolved tannins (popsicle stick?), everybody has the same opinion on this one: wait 5 years and try again
2003 - bretty (shoe polish variety) on the palate, much richer/fuller/plusher than the preceding wines, good presence, a little too much brett for me to recommend it though
2002 - similar to the '04 but a bit more advanced, once again bumps the WotN scale up a couple notches
2001 - a bit lighter-weight but a Musar perfect storm of VA, brett, acids, and fruit; this one is opening up moment by moment as it sits in the glass, the '02 edges it out but this is also a great glass
2000 - another fabulous nose! rich and plush on the palate, yeah bretty
1999 - and another couple bumps on the WotN scale: Jay says: “It has every possible wine flaw… in perfect balance!”
1998 - lighter than the others, both by weight and by intensity (coincidentally, the only vintage of Musar I still own), suave and stylish fwiw
1997 - OK, now, really, this is it: like the '99 but served on silk sheets, perfect: mid-weight but suggests there is a mailed fist under the velvet glove, redfruit flavors that are more sottobosco than candy, the wine flaws add spice and interest but they are wing-men and know when to fall back to let the lead shine
1995 - luscious palate, maybe not so silky as the nearby years, also some brett
No surprise, the more everyone drank, the louder the music got…
A terrific night. Profuse thanks to Sam for organizing the event, to Restaurant Salma for their memorable hospitality, and to the winos for a grand assemblage of Musar.
A few pix (two courtesy of Dave):
