2008 Bekaa Valley

2008 Musar Jeune, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

Back to Lebanon. You know, for all their claims as being the cradle of wine, how come the only producers we hear coming out of here is Musar? So Lebanon has one global superstar wine estate and a bunch of part-timers?

Anyways, the second wine of Musar, blend of cabernet, cinsault, and syrah. Musar's first label wine is well, kind of rare and expensive, so hopefully I'm able to get an idea of its personality in this wine. I'm looking for a fresh wine, but with that famous Musar structure and backbone. Fascinating to be tasting wines from regions I have virtually no experience with, from cultures I've never encountered. Will I get a sense of what Musar is, what Lebanon is?

I was crushed on the first taste. Candied, confected fruit, cheap smelling, glorified Yellowtail, except at 3 times the cost. Shocking, and if this is people's first impression of Musar, they should be concerned. They make serious wine in Lebanon, don't they?

DF

2006 Bekaa Valley

2006 Chateau Ksara Reserve du Couvent, Bekaa Valley.

This was the first wine I've ever tasted from Lebanon. Very excited. I have bottles of Chateau Musar, which is very, very famous among wine circles, but given the price I paid for it, I won't open it for a few more years. This wine seems right for some experimentation.

This wine is 40% syrah, 30% cabernet franc, 30% cabernet sauvignon. An interesting blend, but keep in mind, these are not indigenous Lebanese varietals. A deep purple hue, intense saturation. Nose of stewed red fruits, dried dates and longans. A bit overripe, over-macerated, over-manipulated.

Good structure on the palate, but the tannins are very polished. Too much human intervention, too industrialized of a wine.

I hope this isn't an indication of Lebanese wine. LCBO's been releasing a lot recently. Just hope the Chateau Musar isn't remotely close to this. An interesting experience, but one that I'm not keen to repeat.