Chateau Musar Gaston Hochar Red 2012

Founded by Gaston Hochar in 1930, Chateau Musar lies in a 17th century Mzar castle in Ghazir, just North of Beruit overlooking the Mediterranean sea. One of the great wines of the world Chateau Musar has been run by Gaston's sons, Serge (who studied winemaking under the great Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux) and Ronald since 1959.  

Equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan. Invariably an idiosyncratic wine, which is a good thing to my way of thinking. They respond really well to time in glass or decanter, and change quite a lot, more so than many other wines. They can also show a fair amount of volatility. This is a pretty lavish vintage for Musar. A fair amount of lift here, but no problem as it pushes the aromatics forward. Dried fig, dried flowers, baked plum and blackberry, leather and cedar. It’s sweetly fruited, almost lush in stewed berry flavour, cedar, dried herbs, mint and truffle-like opulence, fresh feel to it, despite all the pomegranate and treacle character, with fine grained but firm tannin, and a long minty finish. Something of a love it or hate it style, but gee, it’s complex and interesting. Decay and beauty. Better again with more time in the cellar. - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, 93+ points 

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon
Country - Lebanon
Region - Bekaa Valley
Vintage - 2012
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.5%