by Dr. Bob Ouellette

Comments on the Musar Tasting-

             This tasting was held the 26^th of August on a day when mother nature was telling us that autumn was not too distant. The sun shone brightly outside and inside the Castle Restaurant, where18 experienced tasters awaited with anxiety this vertical red wine tasting spanning the years from 1966 through 1994. Additionally we were also blessed with two vintages of the rare white wine of Serge Hochar.

            I will leave to my colleague, Julian, to dwell more on the atmosphere that surrounded the tasting and I will go right into the results. 

The whites were a revelation to many of us. The 95 vintage had depth of flavor orchestrated with a very long to be remembered finish. Mouth-filling spicy nuttiness contrasted with sensation of marzipan, apricots and honey

            When it came to the 12 reds, I could spend much time describing each one. However, even as some vintages scored  higher than others by the attendees, there was a common thread throughout that made differences negligible. The older years were remarkable by the ripeness of the fruit that followed the nuances of barnyard and meaty aromas so characteristic of Hochar’s reds. 

             Extremely interesting was the order the of tasting. Jim Nicas prepared the wines in groupings of similar vintages rather than by "year". This gave us the opportunity to compare older wines with newer wines based on vintage characteristics. One could easily imagine how the more recent vintage would  develop based on this tasting. Consequently, since the 94 is the only one available now, I think that several tasters were heading for the phone to call their preferred wine store.

            We have to thank Decanter Magazine's Winemaker-of –the-Year, Serge Hochar (http://www.wineacessmag.com/manofmusar.html) for providing a fair share of the wines. Others bottles were purchased  thru Broadbent Selections in San Francisco and some where provided from my own cellar. Truly a remarkable afternoon that will long be remembered.

Vintages

Combined Scores

Range

Whites

Red Wines