by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
Friendly
Discount Liquors’ pretty Patty Giannopoulos, endowed with the sauciest and
merriest of eyes, remembered my fondness for Lebanon’s Chateau Musar. She said
she remembered my telling her that I thought the 1994 vintage produced as fine a
wine as I have ever tasted.
A week ago came her e-mail: She will receive the 1996 vintage of this
scarce and coveted wine in limited amount, to arrive in early August. I
couldn’t reply fast enough to order three bottles.
Emboldened, now that I would have more magnificent Musar to enjoy, I
decided to drink my remaining 1994 bottle. Had not the prospect of my obtaining
the ‘96s been presented, surely I would have waited for deathbed time to take
the ’94 and shuffle off this mortal coil, palate blessed in triumph and glory.
In
the cool, cool, cool of my cellar, I carefully cradled this treasure after
removing it from its horizontal rack. I put it upright for a day and had my
caregiver/food shopper/housekeeper/consummate cook shop for steaks in quantity
enough to afford three evenings of dining with the ’94 Musar.
Oh, paradise! The ’94 had me gasping with incredulity, better than when
-- and since -- I had tasted it at a 12-vintages -- ’66 to ’94 -- Musar
tasting at the Castle. In my over 50 years of drinking wine, I can’t recall
experiencing such euphoria – almost gleefully shouted to myself. Never have I
tasted such astounding complexity of rich luscious fruit, perfection of balance
in acid, tannin and texture, smoothness in swallow and length of aftertaste.
Without
trepidation, I assert: The ’94s stand tall with Classified Growth Bordeaux,
Cru Classé Burgundy and unexcelled Rhone greats. At the vertical 12-red wines
tasting, 18 experienced tasters rated the ’94 highest with a consensus score
of 92; the range from 85 to 97. I rated it 92 then; today I would rate it 96
without hesitation.
My
notes: “exquisite interactive flavors of dried cherries, ripe plum, dark
chocolate, cedar, autumn woodland spice, beef, mushrooms and smoke. A
Chateauneuf-du-Pape replica?”
Second
evening, I discerned soft oak, currants, coffee, gentle tannin and velvety
mouthfeel, which in my exuberance I was oblivious to on the first evening.
With impatient anticipation, I hurried through two late afternoon fitness
exercise routines to taste again my Musar’s last eight and eight ounces with
the steaks – and would savor them slowly by contrast to the rapidly performed
punishing exercises. After the last eight-ounce pour of Musar and last steak
portion were gone, I came the sickening realization that I had no more ’94. I
desperately needed to know that I could taste again this particular vintage,
especially as Patty’s e-mail advised that the ’96 vintage might be a
lighter, more delicate, comparatively feminine bottling of the Musar – humm,
more like Bordeaux’ Margaux elegance, I
thought.
“Finesse,” I believe Patty described it in conjunction with other
adjectives.
I worried, where might I find and buy more ‘94s of this rare, scarce,
coveted connoisseur’s wine? Dismally and without hope, I e-mailed Patty.
Perchance did she
possibly,
miraculously, foresightedly have some ‘94s stashed away in her and husband
Bill’s office? I have been in that sanctum sanctorum and observed the binned
treasures they had sequestered for wine connoisseurs who so fanatically seek to
taste and possess such finest of wines that they disdain practicing price
prudence in the preservation of their purses.
Two days later…yes! She had some ‘94s and would add three bottles to
my ‘96s when the latter arrived. Halleluyah! I am thankful that Bill and Patty
Giannopoulos had attended the vertical tasting and were astute enough to
recognize the merit of the ’94; Bill bought as much supply as was available to
him. (As of the time you read this column, and after my three, Friendly has only
three 94s remaining, with no more available.)
So what causes the uniqueness of Chateau Musar from Lebanon’s war torn
Bekaa Valley, a relatively obscure viticulture region, fraught for centuries
with social, political and military instability? What is so different about this
wine? Why do savvy connoisseurs snap up this wine wherever, whenever, available?
I met Serge Hochar, co-owner and Bordeaux oenology educated winemaker, at
the Castle’s vertical tasting of his wines. He discussed his wines,
enlightening us with facts about them:
·
Vines grown on high 3000 feet elevation,
obtain 300 days of sunshine a year at 77 friendly degrees temperature.
·
Lebanese wines date back to the
Phoenicians, predating the Romans by centuries.
·
Musar is indisputably Lebanon’s first
growth and the product of 25 to 60 year old vines.
·
Musar is released only after seven years
of vintage date.
·
Red wine blend: approximately one-third
each of cabernet sauvignon, carignane and cinsault with small amounts of syrah,
mourvedre and grenache.
·
It is an interesting adventuresome wine.
From year to year one never knows what a Musar will deliver: One year it may be
cabernet sauvignon dominant and will resemble at Medoc; in another year, if the
wine happens to be syrah, carignane, grenache, mourvedre and cinsault accented,
it could taste like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
·
Anomaly: Musar, despite its light- to
medium-red color, surprisingly hits hard with arresting, vigorous flavor and
firm tannin and may improve to 20 years.
·
The wine may smell like Burgundy/Rhone
spice and taste like Bordeaux.
·
Connoisseurs who impatiently wait seven
years for its release refer to it as “the seven-year itch.”
Two
years ago, Dr. Bob Ouellette, having long been an aficionado of Musar, wanted to
introduce the wine to his Worcester Wine Tasters group; the setting had to be
appropriate to Musar’s pedigree and prestige. He selected the gourmet Castle
Restaurant, where master sommelier Jim Nicas would be entrusted to prepare and
pour the wines, matching them with the inimitable Castle food.
We
had also two extremely rare whites – the ’95 and ’96 vintages.
Bob
had written a brief recap of the event for our WWT group; it is worthy of
repeating here:
“The
whites were a revelation to many of us. The ’95 vintage had depth of flavor,
orchestrated with a very long- and long to be remembered finish. Mouthfilling
spicy nuttiness contrasted with the flavor sensation of marzipan, apricots and
honey.
“When it came to the 12 reds…even as some vintages were scored higher than others by the attendees, there was a common thread among the wines that made differences negligible. The older years were remarkable by the still steadfast ripeness of the fruit, and they were followed with nuances of barnyard and meaty aromas, so characteristic of Hochar’s reds.
“Extremely
interesting was the order of the tasting. Jim Nicas prepared the wines in groups
of similarity of vintages rather than by chronological year. This
gave us the opportunity to compare older wines with newer ones based on vintage
characteristics. One could easily imagine how the more recent vintages would
develop based on this tasting. Consequently, since the ’94 was the only one
available now, I think that several tasters headed for the phone post haste to
call their preferred wine store (or ordered some then and there from Friendly
Discount Liquors).
“Truly
it was a remarkable, educational and fun-filled afternoon that will long be
remembered.”
Remarkable,
indeed: The scores of each vintage -- from ’66 to ’94 -- ranged from the mid
80s into the mid 90s; six were awarded 95s. And the oldest of them, the ’66,
hit a high of 97. So…hypothesis: If the range of scores of all previous 12
vintages that we tasted was so high, may we not assume that the untried 1996
vintage likewise will merit a score within that range?
Tip:
Don’t wait. Gather ye Chateau Musar while ye may, old time keeps aflying, and
the Musar so delicious today, tomorrow if you delay will leave you regretfully
sighting. (Well, I have massacred Robert Herrick’s lines in the interests of
urging you to contact Friendly Discount Liquors’ pretty Patty – she with the
sauciest and merriest of eyes, and do yourself a favor: Order the ‘96 and
’94 – assuming the latter is still available. Of course, you may order them
from hubby Bill Giannopoulos, who buys them, but he lacks Patty’s charisma.
So, I ordered mine from Patty at the 20 percent pre-sell discount price of
$31.99.)
Wine Pick: A bargain from Australia at around $15: Reynolds Merlot 2001, blended with 13 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 percent Shiraz for flavor, complexity and longevity. Detect aromas of ripe red berries, pebbly earth and dried herbs/spices; palate: lush red berries, intriguing sweet oak, balancing black pepper and soft but firm tannins are added to aromas transferred to the palate; smooth texture, silky swallow and reluctant farewell. Highly recommended.
Wine Pick: Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare 2002, around $10. Another Bonny Doon beauty! Exquisitely blended with Rhone varietals of Marsanne, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre – and its price is RIGHT. Big-fruited aromas of strawberry, rose and lime transfer to the palate and add to rich lush fruit, nutty/toasty wood, balancing black pepper, varied spices and herbs; velvety, creamy mouthfeel leave a pleasant aftertaste.
Wine
Pick: A must: Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Home Vineyard 2000, around $24.
Opulent elegance graces the wine glass and rewards the zin aficionado
with a riot of luscious wild berry fruit, plums and raisins, augmented with
toasty wood, black pepper and underlaid with nuances of spice and tar. This is a
Zinfandel’s Zinfandel – the epitome of this itinerant grape varietal:
“wandered” to our West Coast from Italy? The Balkans? Southeastern United
States? Aw, who cares where it came from as long as the wine pleases the
palate… and it will!
Wine Pick: Wolffer Estate Rosé 2002, around $12.50. For a non-Rosé fancier – namely me – my sipping this delicate wine was a serendipitous mouth-gaping revelation. With all escape routes closed, either I drank the Rosé or went without wine. I drank the wine…and I loved it! This salmon colored fruit laden summer picnic wine was dry and elegant and refreshing with an abundance of lively balancing acidity, berry fruit – blackberries, cherries, currants – and zesty citrus with hints of roses and mint. Not imposing or overpowering, rather restrained and well mannered, this Rosé will delight the newcomer to wine as well as the connoisseur.
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julian@oxfordwineroom.com