CHATEAU MUSAR BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON

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.

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. In 1959, after studying oenology at the University of Bordeaux, Serge, Gaston’s eldest son, with great passion became winemaker, his father having graciously given way. Serge then spent 18 years perfecting the formula for Chateau Musar’s Red.  The civil war that tore Lebanon apart from 1975-1990 did not defeat them; Serge refused to abandon the wine, and lost only the 1976 and 1984 vintages to the war. Owing to his inspiring determination and grand passion for his wines, Serge received the inaugural “Man of the Year Award” from Decanter magazine in 1984. Recognition from Michael Broadbent, at the 1979 Bristol Wine Fair, threw Musar into the international spotlight and helped create a cult-like following. Today, Chateau Musar is one of the most written-about and discussed wines in the world. Every wine of Chateau Musar is produced naturally with a ‘non-interventionist’ wine making philosophy and the winery was the first in Lebanon to implement organically certified viticulture.

“If you give my wines more time, they will give you more joy.”
– Serge Hochar

Most of Chateau Musar’s 543 acres of vineyards are located in the Bekaa Valley, cradled between two mountain ranges running parallel to Lebanon’s Mediterranean coastline. Vines have been cultivated here for at least 6,000 years: the Phoenicians (seafaring ancestors of the modern Lebanese) were instrumental in bringing vines and wines from Byblos across to all of the areas around the Mediterranean. Flanked by snow-covered 

mountains, and nestled at 3,000 feet above sea level, (the white vines are 100–150 years old, and are located at 4,000 feet above sea level) the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 77°F (encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoilt, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined.

The white vines are 100–150 years old, and are located at 4,000 feet above sea level. Fermented in Nevers oak barrels for 6-9 months, bottled and blended after is first year and stored in the Musar cellars for a further 6 years before release. The White, which has been likened to ‘mature white Graves’ will also cellar for many years.

All the grapes are hand-harvested by local Bedouins between August and October. In the winery, ambient yeasts do the work of fermentation. The bare minimum of sulphur is used and the Chateau Musar Red wines are neither fined nor filtered.