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Chateau Musar, one of Lebanon's most prestigious wineries, is located in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and is managed by the Hochar family.
The Hochar family's ancestors originally lived in France and settled in what is now Lebanon in the 12th century. In 1930, Gaston Hochar established Chateau Musar, influenced by Lebanon's over 6,000-year history of viticulture and winemaking, and also by his travels to Bordeaux. In 1941, Major Ronald Barton, owner of Chateau Langoa-Barton, was stationed in Lebanon and became friends with Gaston. Their relationship strengthened the connection between Chateau Musar and Bordeaux, significantly influencing the winery's winemaking style. Gaston's eldest son, Serge Hochar, was originally a civil engineer. Encouraged by his father, he decided to study oenology at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux and became the winemaker at Château Moussa in 1959. He then spent 18 years exploring and perfecting the blending ratios of the Château Moussa red wines. In 1984, Serge was named "Man of the Year" by Decanter magazine, in recognition of his continued dedication to producing high-quality red wines during the Lebanese Civil War.
Region
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. They lie near the villages Aana and Kefraya on a range ofgravelly soils over limestone- ideally suited to viticulture. The wide range of soil types and aspects results inwines of distinctive character and blends of appealing complexity.
The grapes used to make Chateau Musar Red are Cabernet Sauvignon and Southern Rhone varieties of
Cinsault and Carignan from long established, mature vines yielding a maximum of 30 to 35 hectolitres per
hectare.
The ancient and indigenous white grapes of Obaideh and Merwah which prefer slightly cooler conditions tothe reds are grown in vineyards at even higher altitudes on the mountain slopes, some 1,500 metres above
sea level.
Every winc at Musar is produced naturally with a non -interventionist winc making philosophy and the wincry was the firstin Lebanon to implement organically certified viticulture in 2006 for its Chateau Musar red and white grapes.
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.
Winemaking
The varietal components in Chateau Musar Red undergo lengthy fermentations in cement vats at temperatures below 30°C. 6 months after the harvest they are transferred into French barrels (oak from the forest of Nevers) for one year.
Blending
The varietal components are brought together two years after the harvest; the resulting blend is then placed back in cement tanks before being bottled 12 months later. Each wine is blended to reflect the character of the vintage. After 4 years’ bottle maturation in the deep stone cellars of Chateau Musar, the finished wines are released a full seven years after the harvest.
Storage
To keep the wines showing at their best, bottles must be cellared in darkness, lying on their sides and not subjected to unnecessary movement or fluctuations in temperature.
【Defeat Wine King Petus】
In 1989, in the blind tasting held by the famous French food guide - Gault Millau Wine Guide (Gault Millau Wine Guide), the 1980 Chateau Musar red wine defeated the French wine king Chateau Petrus (Petus) in one fell swoop, shocking four!
In 1984, Serge Hochar was selected as the first "Man of the Year" by "Decanter Magazine", in recognition of the owner Serge's ability to carry forward Lebanon's ancient winemaking culture despite the war!
