Chateau Musar Red 2003

The 2003 vintage is deep ruby in colour, offering a complex and intriguing array of aromas: toasted bread, cigar box, fresh tea, plums, and Eastern spices. On the palate, it reveals mature fruits such as plums, figs, and cherries, with hints of tea leaves and dark chocolate. The wine is intense; the first taste unleashes complex notes of currants, cherries, and spice, with a hint of game, finishing with a refreshing acidity. Initial indications suggested that the 2003 vintage would be full-bodied, powerful, and long-lasting. Seven years later, upon its release in 2010, these characteristics were confirmed, solidifying the defining traits of the vintage.

Seven years in the making, Chateau Musar Red is 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 low from these mature bushvines (average age: 40 years): Between 15 to 35hl per hectare.

In 1930, at just 20 years old, Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar, inspired by Lebanon's 6,000-year winemaking tradition and his travels in Bordeaux. His 'wines with noblesse' greatly impressed senior officers in the army following the French mandate of the 1920s. Major Ronald Barton, of Château Langoa-Barton, stationed in Lebanon during World War II, became a great friend, strengthening the links between Chateau Musar and Bordeaux that remain to this day.

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