Château Musar 2000
Château Musar is located in the Bekaa Valley , Lebanon . It was created by Gaston Hochar in 1930 when he was just 20 years old and was inspired by Lebanon's 6,000-year-old winemaking tradition and his travels to Bordeaux. Serge Hochar, his son, began producing wines at the end of 1950. His brother, Ronald, joined him in the early 1960s. By 1975, 97% of production was sold locally. This changed after the Bristol Wine Fair in 1979, and by 1990, at the end of the Civil War, exports accounted for 97% of production. The 3rd generation of the Hochar family started participating in 1994 and is still a family business . Today, 85% of production is sold for export . They produce 700,000 bottles per year.
The vineyard extends over 200 hectares of vines, between two mountain ranges which protect from the humidity of the Mediterranean Sea and the heat of the Syrian desert. They produce 75% red wine, 15% white, 5% rosé and 5% arrack. Most of the vineyard (90%) is located in the Bekaa Valley at 1,000 meters above sea level. All red production is located in the southwest of the Bekaa.
A change of style was initiated by Serge Hochar and in 1995, the volatile acids which were around 0.75/0.85 were reduced to 0.75/0.80 because this can be considered "negative" when the volatile acids are greater than 0.80 in the short term. Climate change has affected the grapes, so they have changed the harvest date and harvest the grapes only when ripe. Gaston Hochar and his brothers developed small vineyards, with new plantations but without changing style or name. The wines are always the result of the same blends. They also increase the cellar capacity for young entry-level wines. Their philosophy is to keep prices low for their loyal customers, as they sell their wines to amateurs since they consider that Lebanese wines are not very famous.
The Rouge de Château Musar is a blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon , harvested from the end of August to the end of September depending on their maturity. Fermentation takes place in concrete vats with native yeasts and no additives. Maceration lasts 4 weeks, followed by aging for a year in French oak barrels . The grape varieties from the different vineyards are then blended. Bottling takes place at the end of the 3rd year, and the wine is finally released to the market at the end of the 7th year.
Grape varieties: Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon
