Chateau Musar – Red – 2011

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan.

The harvest of 2011 posed one of the most challenging experiences in winemaking at Chateau Musar over the last 20
years, as it was one of the most untypical years in Lebanese history.

The year began with a cold January but with insufficient rain. February proved similar with March being sunnier, but
April and May produced the really big surprise with a level of rainfall to match January, February and March combined!
The main result of the rain was very late maturation, with flowering occurring 25 days later than usual and this delay
continued over the maturation period and up to the harvesting day. The first Carignan was harvested on the 22nd
September and then on the 23rd it rained for three days, with the Carignan and the Cinsault not yet harvested. The
Carignan resisted the rain but the Cinsault was more affected. The harvest was finally completed on the 13th October,
which with the exception of our 1983 vintage, was the latest in the company’s history.

A challenging and unusual vintage in Lebanon has given this Musar additional Bordeaux style, with mulberries, cherry, spice and rounded tannins on the palate. Decanter – 94

Brand

Chateau Musar

The wines of Chateau Musar are unique expressions from a country with an ancient winemaking culture, as vines have been cultivated from Lebanon's high altitude Bekaa Valley for over 6,000 years. The Hochar family’s philosophy of respect for the environment means that the 180 hectares of Musar vineyards are managed with minimal human interference and all the wines are made naturally. Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar. In 1959, after studying oenology at the University of Bordeaux, his son Serge became winemaker. The civil war that tore Lebanon apart from 1975 to 1990 did not defeat Chateau Musar; Serge refused to abandon the wine, and lost only the 1976 and 1984 vintages to the war. Owing to his inspiring determination and grand passion for his wines, Serge received the inaugural “Man of the Year Award” from Decanter magazine in 1984. Recognition from Michael Broadbent, at the 1979 Bristol Wine Fair, threw Musar into the international spotlight and helped create a cult-like following. Chateau Musar is one of the most written-about and discussed wines in the world today - Wine.com