1. The wines were generally outstanding and something I should be putting in my cellar given prices for current vintages. (Especially given the price trends for other things that I have bought previously, or have slowed down on buying given the prices at certain addresses in the Rhone and Burgundy.)
2. I was also impressed by the consistency - I know Musar has a reputation for VA and brett issues. We did not have any bottles that were genuinely flawed or where those factors became distractions/overwhelmed from the main fruit. There were a few wines where I found VA or brett evident, but it was in small enough doses that it added a bit of complexity (not unlike a bit of Cordier funk) without becoming a flaw.
3. We only had one bottle of Musar blanc, but I found it really compelling and a wine I would have loved to keep returning to and exploring with more time.
FWIW, there were a couple of wines where I was the outlier - I seemed to like the 2011 much more than some others, while a few others liked the 05 and the 93 a lot more than I did.
- 2009 Chateau Musar Blanc - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Really compelling stuff - there's a waxy character here, lanolin and hay notes framing the rich white fruit in a way that reminds me of white Bordeaux or older Hunter Valley Sémillon. But the palate's much richer, with the textural thickness of old school Burgundy or aged white Rioja. It's relatively low in terms of its acidity, but the fruit still feels very fresh and lively, and this never feels soft or heavy. (94 pts.)
- 2014 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Love the aromatics here. Incredibly lifted and floral, perhaps a faint touch of VA here as well, but it's really about exuberant red fruit and higher-toned florality in a perfume that makes it lovely to sit and smell. The palate doesn't quite live up to the nose - it feels a touch soft, leaving me wanting more lift and acidity on the palate, and the alcohol peeks out a bit on the finish. (88 pts.) - 2013 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Similarly high-toned floral aromatics to the '14, but this feels more dark fruited in character whereas that was all fresh red berries. I like the aromatic complexity here a bit more, and the palate also feels a bit lighter on its feet although it feels a bit lean on the back end, as the tannin clamps down on the finish. (90 pts.) - 2012 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Others seemed to like this more than I did - it's richer and more deeply fruited than the '13 and '14 in the same flight, but I also found a slightly stewed/roasted component on the nose that I didn't enjoy. It doesn't carry through to the palate though, where there's plenty of ripe red and black fruit and more savoury earthiness on a fairly full frame (that feels bigger than the more medium-weight '13 and '14). (89 pts.)
- 2011 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
I may have been the outlier here, liking this much more than several others on the table. Love the aromatics. A fairly strong leathery scent on the nose suggests there's some brett here, but it doesn't dominate and comes together nicely with the red and dark fruited flavours. The palate's surprisingly savoury, showing more earthy development than the wines from the previous flight, though also quite a lot of structure evident here. There's plenty of acidity and also quite a bit of grainy tannin on the back end (a few others commented on it being astringent), though both of those feel more integrated with air - I liked this even more when returning to it much later in the night. (92 pts.) - 2010 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Oh hell yeah. There's a very Cote-Rotie like character to this (so of course it was my favorite of the flight) with plenty of red fruit and leathery savouriness on the note, but also a higher toned spiciness and faintly saline/olive-y scents that emerge with more air. The palate presence is gorgeous - medium weight, silky, so refined and easy to drink. One of my favorites of the night. (94 pts.) - 2009 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Quite a contrast to the 2010 and 2011 in the same flight; this feels much bigger and more intensely black fruited in contrast to the other two, which felt lighter and more red-fruited. One person suggests this may be due to more Cab Sauv in the blend. It certainly has more heft than the other wines, a richer and more plush feel on the palate, though also feels a touch lower in acid. (91 pts.)
- 2008 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Very pretty; starts out with fresh red fruits and a light spiciness, but a little time in the glass brings out more savoury leathery and earthy funk that adds to the complexity here without ever dominating. Liked this a lot, just didn't pay enough attention as I was still following the '10 from the previous flight and blown away by the 2007 in the next glass. (90 pts.) - 2007 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
There's a scene in Rick and Morty where Rick calls himself the Rickest Rick. This wine's the Musarest Musar. There's a wildness, a slightly gamey quality here - leathery funk and faintly heady, high-toned scents suggesting there's both some VA and brett here, but those flavours never dominate and instead come together seamlessly with the sappy red and dark fruited flavours, and other savoury earthiness. A few of the other wines at the table brought about comparisons to Burgundy or Northern Rhones, but this one's everything we could expect from Musar, and it shows it in spades without restraint. Awesome. (95 pts.) - 2005 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Boom. This one's a big wine. It's very CdP like in the liqueur-like intensity of the fruit flavours, more kirsch than fresh cherries here. The leathery and earthy notes play much quieter notes here, this one might be the most fruit-forward Musar on the table tonight and I found it monolithic and a bit simple compared to the '08 and '07 in the same flight. (88 pts.)
- 2004 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Good, not great. A touch blocky and heavy, lacking the lightness and energy of other wines in this lineup. (87 pts.) - 2003 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
This on the other hand, just flat out wow. Probably my wine of the night (though a tough call between this and the '07). The aromatic complexity, depth, and overall sense of balance here put this on another level - fruit, earth, leather, and all sorts of other developed savoury notes all come together seamlessly on a medium weight frame, and there's a remarkably polished, finessed texture to it. (96 pts.) - 2002 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
A more dark fruited profile here, but also a more heady, slightly spirity aspect to the aromatics - kirsch and blackberry liqueur notes stand out, and I'm not sure if that's a function of VA or higher alcohol/ripeness here. Even though the aromatics suggest something much riper, the palate is more restrained and also has a nice sense of lift from the acidity. (91 pts.) - 1993 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley
Liked but didn't love this (I may have been the outlier again, with a few nominating it among their favorites of the night). It shows its age with the leathery and earthy funk framing more gentle, delicate red fruited flavours, and shows the gentleness and restraint of an older red - but this also felt a bit more anonymous, coming across like a red that's been well aged but had little to distinguish it from other wines/grapes. (89 pts.)