A bottle each of 3 different vintages opened on 3 different nights to accompany 3 different meals:

1993 Chateau Musar (Lebanon) -- beautiful cranberry color; warm nose of exotic spices, herbs and some leafy notes, reminiscent of aged Chateauneuf; medium-weight in the mouth, still fairly tannic, ripe, sweet dark cherry flavors, caramel, sandalwood, tobacco, mineral, hints of iodine and barnyard funk; long finish featuring cranberry and fine tannins. A difficult wine to describe, but the best I can do is say it's rather like the Southern Rhone meets Left Bank Bordeaux. A good wine to take to a blind tasting. App. 90-91 pts.

1994 Chateau Musar -- dark ruby color; very similar nose to the '93: warm, spicy nose; quite sweet, ripe fruit, more powerful than the '93. The palate is spicy with sweet cherry and plum , hints of tea , bay leaf, cedar, anise; a long, spicy, tannic, somewhat hot finish. Excellent acidity, very concentrated wine. Should last a long time, but I have no idea how much it can improve. App. 90 pts., and I may be a bit stingy with that evaluation.

1995 Chateau Musar -- looks more mature than the 2 previous vintages, with a lot of bricking at the edge; nose of raw beef and spicecake, with almost over-ripe fruit; the flavors follow on the palate, with ripe crushed cherries and berries, verging on decadent, significant concentration and weight, a strong floral element joining the spices, tobacco, white pepper; like the '94, a powerful, tannic, alcoholic finish. Longest finish of the three. A potential powerhouse if everything comes into harmony in a few years, but at present the least enjoyable of these to drink. Call it 89-90 pts. today, with a significant upside.

I have only had a couple bottles of Musar in the past, but recommend it highly to anyone looking for a slightly adventurous experience. I understand it ages very well, so I'll pick up a bottle or two of the '94/5/6 which are available here.

Besides, it's always nice to be able to mention to our less-knowledgeable friends that we've tasted the Great Wine of Lebanon, right?

It's nice to see some TNs from interesting places. I plan on going to Zaytinya again sometime in the not too distant future and I think they might have these (albeit later vintages) on the list amongst some Greek and other wines....

Seaquam,
What do they age this stuff in??... the Cedars of Lebanon???

Seaquam - Ehhh???? Just where did you purchase the wines of Lebanon?

budman -- it's entirely possible, but I'd bet that French oak is used exclusively (see winemaker's training, below).

winetex -- I'm clearly not an expert (in fact, I'm a novice) on Ch. Musar, but I've read about it for years; it's long been touted as one of the world's great wines. I just looked it up in an older edition of Parker's Buying Guide, and he says owner/winemaker Serge Hochar is Bordeaux-trained and "makes superlative wines from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Cinsault" at an an estate about 18 mi. from Beirut. Because of the ongoing violence, he's lost vintages "because no harvesters would risk their lives to pick the grapes, but still he continues." Parker states the wines remind him of Chateauneuf du Papes (the resemblance is unmistakeable) and says they're "full bodied, very fragrant, rich and supple enough to drink young...." And so now you know as much as I do about this wine.

I've seen it in wine shops for years, but didn't try one until about 2-3 years ago in a restaurant (sommelier's very good recommendation) and have since bought a few and received a couple as gifts. Not a wine I'd like to have a steady diet of, but a treat that every wine lover ought to try at least once for variety's sake, if no other.

Given its reputation, it shouldn't be too hard to track down.

Well, alrighty then.

Now this is what I mean by a 'Cult' wine. Chateau Musar is well known over here and I love the stuff. I came across it about twelve years ago when I was working in Harrogate. There was a small restaurant there and the owner liked us and recomended lots of weird and wonderful things to us, including Chateau Musar. I loved it then I love it now.

I bought a bottle only last week. We have the 1996 at the moment. I will pop a cork some time in the near future and give out the tasting notes. Price here is about £14 ($20) and there is nothing to compare.

The nearest comparison that I could bring to mind was the smoky effects of Laphroaig Islay Malt Whisky.

Thanks for bring this up Seaquam, now everybody knows and the price will go up. Sheesh.

Thanks for posting Seaquam. Where have you been?

Yeah, what Jones said.

As it may be of interest to others, the price here in Vancouver is C$58 (about US$40). At that price, it's a marginal purchase for me; a lot of outstanding Chateauneufs can be had in that price range.

I'm a Ch. Musar fan, too. I believe it is imported into the US by Broadbent Selections, and that Michael Broadbent is largely responsible for "discovering" this wine. Apparently, the Ch. Musar vineyards have at times literally been a battle zone -- tanks rolling through during the many periods of war and unrest in the Bekka Valley -- but they keep managing to produce the wine.

I love it when somebody claims to 'discover' something or even better somebody. I 'discovered' Chateau Musar because somebody told me about it. I wonder how he 'discovered' it.

Well, I have no stake in this, but when they say Broadbent "discovered" Ch. Musar, I think they mean he was among the first to realize the potential of the wine and to introduce it to the international market through his import company. Assuming that he really did do this, I don't think that's an entirely illegitimate use of the word "discover."

Top Ten - it's a personal dislike of the term. I feel that it is stealing credit from where it is due - sort of "it's all thanks to me"! Quote from The Human League:

"Don't forget it's me who put you where you are now
And I can put you back down too"