| Description: |
Chateau Musar White
The wines of Chateau Musar are a unique expression from a country with an ancient wine-making culture, as vines have been cultivated from Lebanon's high altitude Bekaa Valley for over 6,000 years. French in origin, the Hochar family arrived in Lebanon in the 12th century and have remained there ever since. Chateau Musar's red vineyards are situated towards the southern end of the Bekaa valley, north of Lake Qaroun and about 30 km south-east of Beirut. The ancient and indigenous white grapes prefer slightly cooler temperatures and are grown at high altitudes on the mountain slopes, some 1,500 metres above sea level. Every wine at Musar is produced naturally with a 'non-interventoinist' wine making philosophy and the winery was the first in Lebanon to implement organically certified viticulture in 2006 for its Chateau Musar red and white grapes.
The 180 hectares of Musar vineyards are managed with minimal intervention, producing wines that are a pure expression of the land from which they came. Chateau Musar White is a highly celebrated wine in the flagship portfolio. Taking 7 years to produce; this wine is a blend of Obaideh and Merwah. The aforementioned ancient grape varieties are indigenous to the mountains of Lebanon and are considered to be related to Chasselas, Chardonnay, and Semillon. The Obaideh vineyards are planted in the foothills of the anti-Lebanon mountains to stone and chalk-heavy soils while the Merwah vines are planted on the seaside of Mount Lebanon to cancerous and gravel soils. Yields are low from the untrained bush vines planted to these unique grape varieties that are grown at high altitudes (approximately 400 m); there are very few vineyards in the world of similar caliber. At the winery, the wine is fermented in French oak barriques (from the forest of Nevers) over the course of 9 months. It is then blended and bottled at the end of its first year and released to market seven years after harvest.
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| Taste: |
The fruit is tart and slightly dried lemon-lime, with yellow plum and white peach. There is a distinct note of beeswax, dried Manuka honey, and crushed chamomile. The wine is dry, medium-bodied with nicely integrated acidity. |
| Cellaring Potential: |
Drink now or age 5+ years. |
| Food Matching: |
This wine excels with pâtés, rillettes and terrines. Pair with roasted black cod, lemon and dill chicken, or grilled fennel. |