Musar Rouge 2002
It has been a couple years since my last 2002. It seems to have shut down a bit - not so much that it would be criminal to open one now, but enough that I don't feel it quite showed all that it had to show a couple years ago even with extended decanting. But even so, it is a lovely wine in a quite rich style even by Musar's standards. Not as volatile as e.g. the 2003 seems to be, so tame for a Musar. But all the same, it does have lovely bite to the fleshy fruit. Though a bit shut down, I still think this is one the greatest Musars of recent years. Ideally, let it rest for at least five years more.
Musar Rouge 2003
2003 in the Bekaa wasn't the heatwave it was in Europe. But this is still a sunny vintage for Musar. But gladly it is also a very typical Musar in having a delightful touch of volatility in addition to ripe, red fruit. Crisp and racy but sweet fruit. Pretty classic Musar. Not a great year, not a bad year, but reliable and typical and that's enough for me that I love it!
Musar Rouge 2004
Recently in London I tried a small glass of this in a big tasting. Many there felt that this was a "modern" Musar, lacking the personality of the other vintages that evening (going back the '60s). I, however, thought this was a pretty normal expression of a recently released vintage. Very sweet fruit, but with plenty of savoriness to counter the sweetness. This bottle was similar. The vineyards where the red grapes grow are not in the mountains, so it will always have sunny fruit. But it also has lovely lift to the aromas; and it always has lovely acidity. Sweet, yes; but not heavy. I like this. Even on this second try, it seems like classic young Musar to me. I am not prepared to accept that Musar has changed its style.
Musar Rosé 2008
The youngest Musar "rosé" I have had. Honestly, I don't think this should be called a rosé. It may be pink in color, but it is almost entirely made of the two autochthonous white grapes, Merwah and Obaideh. It has 3-5% Cinsault mixed in to provide color. So this, really, is a white Musar with coloring added. White (and rosé) Musar comes from very high vineyards in the Bekaa, and therefore even in ripe vintages they don't tend to go above 12% abv. Aromatically it does show as a typical, painfully young white Musar: sea shells, peachy fruit; good grip, tannic (white, red and rosé Musar all seem to have plenty of tannins, though they are covered by plentiful ripe fruit), racy acidity. Quite lovely. But painfully young. This is one of the few rosés where I think age is necessary. The 1995 Musar Rosé is beautiful now and shows no signs of being over the hill. The 2008 just seems raw though it does show all the qualities that makes this a truly special rosé. I like it now; but on the basis of the 1995 rosé, I think this might be something truly special in a decade or so.
(purposefully chosen for the shades)