Chateau Musar 2019 is the latest release from this iconic producer. It is a dark and seductive wine with a core of blackcurrant fruit along with fresher fruit notes of blueberry and cranberry and juicier notes of plum. The spice flavours are well integrated with the fruit and along with the classic black olive and cloves notes there is a wonderful black pepper note. Drinking, but will age for years.

Chateau Musar is more than a wine. It is the story of one man’s vision and struggle to succeed through the unlikeliest of odds. The wines are now iconic, enjoy cult status and are as unique as they are brilliant. Serge Hochar famously produced his wines through the civil war (1975-1990) and was perhaps one of the Godfathers of ‘Natural Wine’. Heavily influenced by Bordeaux, the wines come from calcareous, gravel and stone soils in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley. The vineyards benefit from cool nights and seasonal temperatures which result in a long growing season. It is a unique terroir that producers a unique range of wines that have, and will, always divide opinion. The wine is also a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. One thing is guaranteed, no two bottles of Musar are ever the same. I’ll leave you to decide if that is a good or bad thing.