Château Musar 2001 Red

Few wine producers founded in the modern era can claim to have witnessed as many world-changing events as the famous Château Musar in Lebanon's Beka'a Valley.  Perilously close to the tumultuous border with Syria, Musar has quite literally seen the front lines of some of the world's most heart breaking conflicts.  Proprietor Gaston Hochar deserves the highest esteem for refusing to slake his production throughout multiple regional wars, meanwhile maintaining his standards of high quality and unique style.  That said, Musar, has a reptutation for streaky vintages, with some underwhelming wines for the reputation held by the château.  Let us see how this ten-year-old vintage performs...

Country of Origin: Lebanon
Region: Beka'a valley
Varieties: Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Syrah
Price range: £20-25
Biodynamic/ Organic

Appearance:  Time resting in bottle has done some lovely things to the colour of this wine.  I am a highly visual taster, and often I fear that my tastes are overly influenced by the appearance of the wine in the glass, but this is a beautiful brick red, showing a thorough aging process over the ten years since vintage.  It isn't terribly clear, somewhat reminiscent of a young Burgundy but with a slight orange tinge.

Nose:  Great aromatics to be sure, dark cherries and a dusty black currant showing the quality of the Cabernet here.  I've heard rumours that Gaston Hochar pulled a rather cavalier move in taking some Cabernet cuttings from Château Lafite-Rothschild, and if that's so, it's interesting to see how that affects this Cinsault-dominated blend.  A bit of pencil lead, which leads me to think that the Cinsault is definitely being overwhelmed by the Cabernet and a hint of brine shows the character of the aged Syrah.  Over all, a unique and complex nose, worth a long consideration.  Beautiful so far!

Palate: Despite the age on this fellow, the tannins were quite grippy upon first opening the bottle, again showing the strength of the Cabernet, but they have mellowed out quite a lot giving a chance for the delicate Carignan and Cinsault to show through on the palate.  A hint of flowers and dusty earth add a lovely complexity to this glass of fine wine.

Overall:  Some have ventured the timeless error of comparing this wine to the classic regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux, for it's elegance and it's grip respectively.  This is completely beside the point of Musar.  It is unique stuff with a character of it's own.  Definitely worth consideration as a serious fine wine for a great value.  Check your vintages and get a good one and hold onto it at least ten years!  It will reward your patience, especially when it takes part in a mouthful of good spiced roast lamb.

Score: 89/100

Au Bon Climat 2008 Pinot Noir

Today I am delving into a bottle of Jim Clemenden's 2008 Pinot Noir.  It isn't until relatively recently that this brilliant wine maker has begun importing into the UK and I believe that it is a great fortune of ours to have finally gotten a hold of these lovely wines.  The merchant responsible for Mr. Clemenden's wines entering the UK, Fields, Morris & Verdin, describes the wine-making methods of Au Bon Climat as Californian style and Burgundian sensibility.  I hope to explore some of that claim in my notes.  Happy reading...

Country of Origin: United States
Viticultural Region: Santa Maria Valley, CA
Varietals: Pinot Noir 100%
Price Range: £20-£25
Biodynamic/ Organic

Appearance:  On first glance this wine has a deep colour not expected from a Pinot, but the intensity is beautiful and the clarity is lovely.  Even the first glass has some crustiness in the bottom, clearly visible through the wine.  I look to this wine to fulfill my desire for all things unfiltered and raw.

Nose:  Burying my nose into my glass, I smell a complex aroma of fresh heather blossoms and damp peat-bog.  There is a subtle farminess on the nose and a hint of livestock.  Of course, this seemingly unappealing note is present in all the most positive ways and I consider a bit of rustic goat hair to be a huge positive.  It is a great Burgundian nose with a definite Californian touch.

Palate:  So delightfully delicate and sublime.  It dances a lilt across the tongue and pleases on so many levels.  After a bite of my lamb, the lilt becomes a fling and this wine really shows it's character as a match for food.  It is simply superb and in my opinion quite simply outclasses many of the Burgundies I have had in this price range and well above.

It is an example of a great US pinot.  I think this wine is a display of great finesse and what I imagine must be a great deal of personal touch from Jim Clemenden himself.  I feel like wine in the glass contains the fruits of the wine-makers labours and this glass contains some painstaking labour.

Bravo, Mr. Clemenden.

93/100

Oddero Barbera d'Alba 2008

Today's tasting comes after a long week on holiday away from wine tasting.  That is not to say I haven't been tasting wines; quite the contrary.  Being at home with my parents in the United States has afforded me the opportunity to try some incredible wines which are rare and difficult to find in the UK.  Hopefully not for long, though as my taste buds have been constantly graced with delicious Californians and some fantastic Italian wines as well.  This is from the latter...

Country of Origin: Italy

Viticultural Region: La Morra

Classification: D.O.C.

Varietals: Barbera (100%)

Price Range: £15-£20

Appearance:  A lovely clarity and persistent tears on the glass compliment a pale colour in this wine.

Nose: Ripe red cherry is dominant on the nose with a hint of flowers and black tea.  It is fruity but not unsubtle.  It has a certain rusticity to it's style and while it isn't particularly overwhelmingly fragrant, it does hint that the palate will be well balanced, delicate and pleasing.

Palate: Unlike last week's Riesling, this week the promises made by the nose are kept by the palate.  It is perfumed and delicate.  If I were a good few decades older, I'd say it had a slightly campari-like characteristic.  Fortunately, unlike Campari, the finish is delightfully floral, and the general mouthfeel is light, gently tannic and acidic enough to pair well with northern Italian dishes.

Balance:  I am pleased to say that this classic wine checks all the boxes.  It is food friendly and lively.  Obviously more adherent to it's cool climate region than more common Italian varieties such as Sangiovese and Montepulciano, it is delicate, fragrant and floral.

Score: 90/100

I must give some context to the situation in which this wine was tasted.  On holiday as I've said whilst in the company of my loving family, with cousins around and a category 3 hurricane lashing our windows leaving us powerless for the ensuing 3 days, provided a unique scenario for wine tasting.  Between the young cousins clamoring and the hurricane causing stress; this Barbera was so very welcome and I think in any situation it could be a welcome friend for you.

Weekly Tasting Note- Sybille Kuntz 2006 Riesling

Hello again,

This week's tasting is of a perpetually underrated and underconsumed style of wine.  Most people associate Germany with the world famous sweet style of Riesling.  These wines, with their great, fragrant noses and oily, sweet palate, are justifiably popular, but it is their more austere, dry incarnations which evoke a particularly Germanic spirit.  They are wonderful with a wide range of different food dishes such as mild Thai curry and Asian seafood and are stimulating enough to be drunk on their own.  Enjoy.

Country of Origin:Germany
Viticultural Region: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Classification: N/A
Varietals: Riesling (100%)
Price Range: £15-£20

Appearance:  A pronounced golden colour with a fine stream of bubbles upon pouring the first glass greets the first glass.  This slight effervescence does not last long but gives it a nice lively character straight out of the bottle.

Nose: Beautiful floral aromas of rose petal and acacia alongside honey, juicy pear and fresh citrus.  The rubbery aroma typical in German riesling is far from powerful and the nose on this wine is absolutely lovely... Perhaps this wine has written a cheque with the nose, which the palate can't cash....


Palate: ...and the cheque bounces!  This wine set itself up for a tremendous profile with a beautiful colour and a floral bouquet, but the palate fails to come through.  A thin showing on the tongue, this wine is nevertheless refreshing and spritely.  A bit more acidity would make it more food friendly and dynamic but after the expectations and hype built up by the nose, this comes as a bit of a disappointment.  


Balance:  It is well enough balanced for what it is.  I feel like this wine may suffer from vintage.  2006 was a showy one and in a lesser vintage this wine might stand out a bit more. For a more dynamic and satisfying dry riesling, I may have to look elsewhere; such as just over the border to Alsace.  Next week perhaps?

Score: 74/100

First Notes- Camins del Priorat 2008

To all my potential followers,


This is my first posting on my blog; hopefully the first of many, and I hope that it will come to be a source for opinions on wines of interest.  I do this mostly as an effort to amalgamate all of my own tasting notes into one place.  If it so happens that you find my postings to be of any use, I would love to hear from you.  Naturally, if you feel that I would do better directing my attention in any other way (expletives and all) I would be equally appreciative.


I am particularly beholden to this style of wine; Spain was one of the first wine-producing countries I ever explored and it was a beautiful Melis Elix 2001 Priorat that sparked my love for wine.  For that reason I begin my tasting notes with another wine from this massively under-appreciated region of Spain...


Alvaro Palacios- Camins del Priorat, 2008


Country of Origin: Spain
Viticultural Region: Priorat
Classification: D. O. C. (Denominación de Orígen Calificada)
Varietals: Cariñena (60%), Garnacha (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%)
Price Range: £15-£20


Appearance: Beautiful, deep colour with intensity and clarity.  The legs are pronounced as they run down the sides of the glass, hinting to the high alcohol levels (14.5%).


Nose:  The dominant aroma is of very juicy fruits such as cherries, strawberries and blackberry.  There is an underlying woodsmoke, but it is fleeting and may take a few goes to pronounce itself.  There are some smells reminiscent of Portwine and jammy fruits, which is consistent with the palate following.


Palate:  Silky tannins provided by the trace amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, giving way to the sweetness of the Garnacha and Cariñena are well balanced with the medium acidity.  A slight spiciness shows a lot of good character in this wine.  


After returning to this wine following a few hours in the bottle, the contact with air has woven in a few extra threads to this glass.  Some new aromas of licorice and sandalwood have joined ripe blueberries and jam.


Overall I can say that this is a well balanced example of a very food-friendly wine.  Pair it with lamb or light stews and soft spanish cheese.  I would highly recommend this as an affordable wine with good character and a vibrant style.


Score: 88 out of 100