Chateau Musar White 2012

October Box

Yellow-gold hue

Honeyed, complex aromas reminiscent of an aged Sauternes woven with dried grass, oak, citrus, nuts

Dry, fresh, with an expansive generous flavour and long finish

About the Producer

The jewel in Lebanon's crown

The wines of Chateau Musar are unique expressions from a country with an ancient wine-making culture, as vines have been cultivated from Lebanon’s high altitude Bekaa Valley for over 6,000 years.

From around 4,500 BC, the sea-faring Phoenicians (ancestors of the modern Lebanese) distributed their wines and vines throughout the Mediterranean, travelling as far as Cadiz (and possibly beyond) in their robust cedar boats.

Their resilience in the face of repeated invasion gave rise to the legend of ‘The Phoenix’. They also invented the alphabet to help keep records of their various transactions.

The ancient city of Baalbek in the northern Bekaa Valley, takes its name from the Phoenician fertility god, Baal. The Roman god Bacchus was in turn worshipped here and the temples built in his honour remain among the most perfectly preserved in the world.

The region’s wines are mentioned many times in the bible, with the first recorded evidence of wine transactions coming from Byblos (‘book’ in Greek, hence ‘Bible’) an historic fishing port north of Beirut.

French in origin, the Hochar (pronounced Hoshar) family arrived in Lebanon in the 12th century, ‘Preux Chevaliers’ and have remained there ever since.

Grapes

60% Obaideh

40% Merwah

Chateau Musar White is a blend of ancient grape varieties Obaideh and Merwah, indigenous to the mountains of Lebanon and said to be related to Chasselas Chardonnay and Semillon.

Region

Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

At 34° N of the equator, the centre of the Bekaa Valley is further south than any part of Spain or Italy and as such gets its fair share of sunshine during the summer months. The Musar vineyards are blessed in two ways: they are situated at relatively high altitudes, (around 1,000 metres above sea level) and have just the kind of calcareous, gravel and stone soils that encourage the production of high quality grapes.

Viticulture

Organic

Vineyards at this altitude benefit from cool night and seasonal temperatures (it often snows on the vines in the winter and summer can be searingly hot) resulting in longer ripening periods. Vines thrive in this pure ‘alpine’ environment requiring little or no intervention to remain healthy.

At harvest time, the grapes are hand-picked by Bedouins in the cool of the morning to preserve freshness, and driven in sizeable trucks over the mountains to the winery at Ghazir.

Vinification

Chateau Musar White is fermented in Nevers oak barrels for 6 to 9 months, bottled and blended after its first year and stored in the Musar cellars for a further six years before release.
Normally Obaideh reaches higher alcohol than the Merwah but they balance each other in the blend
The White, which has been likened to ‘mature white Graves’, will also cellar for many years.

Wine Spec

Vintage: 2012

Alcohol: 12%

Name of Producer:

Chateau Musar

Name of Wine:

White

Origin:

Bekaa Valley,

Lebanon

Organic

Service Temp:

15C

Wine & Food Matching Ideas

Roast chicken

Seafood

Pâté/Rilettes

Spicy dishes

Grilled halloumi with roasted vegetables and cous cous

“There in no classic

food pairing.

My wines match all the

foods of the world.”

- Serge Hochar

Try it with

Roast chicken with orange, fennel, olives and herbed rice recipe

by

Diana Henry

This is a complex wine that becomes more layered and nuanced with each year it ages. Make sure to serve it at the right temperature (15C) which is warmer than most white wines are served, but it will reveal more aromas and have a better texture. I love this take on the classic roast chicken which echoes the mediterranean flavours found in the wine (citrus, spice,herbs, earthy, nutty).

Go to recipe