Ch. Musar 2018

The winemaking methodology is non-interventionist and natural, with ambient yeasts in the fermentation, a bare minimum of sulphur employed, and no fining or filtration of the finished Chateau Musar wine. It is absolutely the intention that every vintage be different, ‘to make wine on the edge’ as Serge put it. This approach leads to wines that to some are infuriatingly inconsistent and to many others beguilingly so. Let’s give the last word on this to Serge, who was decanter Man of the Year in 1984: 'I once produced a wine that was technically perfect, but it lacked the charms of imperfection.'

Musar’s wines are built to stand the test of time. They’re almost cultish, in a way, and also very marmite. Some, like myself, are huge advocates of the searing (sometimes volatile!) acidity and delightful perfume of Carignan. Musar themselves preach two things when it comes to their wines. Firstly, they always recommend using a Durand corkscrew to open more mature vintages. Secondly, always decant both the white and reds. A good hour should do the trick, no matter the vintage. Always be careful of sediment in the reds, too. 

he red takes around seven years, and is always a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the Bekaa Valley villages of Aana and Kefraya on gravelly soils over limestone. Planted from the 1930s onwards, yields are also low, from these mature bush vines . The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement vats at temperatures below 30°C. 6 months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels for one year, also from the forest of Nevers.

The varietal components are brought together two years after the harvest; the resulting blend is then placed back in cement tanks before being bottled 12 months later. Each wine is blended to reflect the character of the vintage. After 4 years’ bottle maturation in the deep stone cellars of Chateau Musar, the finished wines are released a full seven years after the harvest. 

2018 began with an impressive 355mm of rain and snow in January, while February was also abundant with 162mm of rain to irrigate the soils. March followed with 41mm and April, with 27mm, was the icing on the cake. After the 15th of April, a surprise increase in temperature encouraged the vines to open. May & June were exceptional as 52mm and 32mm of rain fell during the blooming period; the vines loved the additional water and the harvest certainly looked promising. July was true to form with no water and temperatures increased to an average of 35 degrees Celsius. Then in August we had a 3-day heatwave with temperatures of 39 and 40 degrees.