Jonathan Ray Jonathan Ray

Wine Club 2 March

issue 02 March 2019

Chateau Musar is beloved of Spectator readers, thanks largely to my sainted predecessors — Messrs Waugh and Hoggart — both of whom adored its wines. As a result, the Speccie has forged a bond with this Lebanese winery and, owing to the diplomatic exertions of our partners at Mr Wheeler, we are in the enviable position of being able to offer the latest Musar vintages exclusively to readers before anyone else has even had a sniff or a whiff of them.

The 2010 Chateau Musar White (1) is nothing if not quirky, produced from ungrafted old vines grown in the Bekaa Valley that were first planted almost 5,000 years ago. A blend of Obaideh and Merwah (and when did you last bump into them?), it’s fermented and aged partly in oak and partly in stainless steel. There’s lemony, Sémillon-like fruit on the palate, a white Rhône-like peachiness and a touch of oxidative savouriness on the finish.

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