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Chateau Musar: The Story of a wine IconCHATEAU MUSAR – THE STORY OF A WINE ICON Knowing about Chateau Musar takes more than a sip or a glassful, however fascinating the taste of that wine might prove to be. To know Chateau Musar takes an understanding of terroir, of natural winemaking, of human nature and of history. All of these factors have a powerful influence over the way our wine appears in the glass – how it tastes, smells, lives, breathes and changes.
The story of Musar’s survival during the Lebanese civil war of 1975 to 1990 is well documented. It was a formative time for our wine and for its creator, Serge Hochar, who was only just beginning to trust his grapes (as he famously said) to ‘become what they wanted to be’. From 1975, he had no choice. They were harvested when the shelling paused; their transit to the winery took as long as avoiding militia check-points permitted (sometimes days), and winemaking could only happen when the coast road was clear and Serge could reach the winery.
The wine he made during this time had to find its own way past the delays and disruption caused by war, and miraculously it did so. Serge called his 1982 ‘a pure wine of war’. Eighty hectares of Hochar vineyards in the Beka’a Valley became the frontline for Israeli and Syrian tanks, the grapes only harvested by chance when a break in fighting allowed the loyal Bedouin grape-pickers to dash in and collect what they could. And yet the wine was to become an elegant, mellow red full of soft fruits and pomegranate charm – Andrew Jefford called it ‘typically Musar in its enigmatic simplicity/complexity’.
And yet the war is only a tiny part of the history that makes our wines what they are. Our Lebanese heritage, charted right the way back to Phoenician times, over 4,000 years ago, has had a dramatic influence on the way the vine is grown in our land. The Phoenicians were the first to cultivate the vine professionally and to trade wine internationally; they then taught the Greeks their oenological skills, and earned the admiration of the Romans for their links to market.
Of all the history that influences us, it is the Roman temple at Ba’albek that paved our way with the most authority. As Serge said: ‘This is the only serious temple erected to Bacchus [the god of wine] anywhere in the Roman world. And they put it here, in the Beka’a. Why? Because the Romans and Greeks, the Phoenicians and Minoans, and all peoples who came before them, all knew that the Beka’a is the spiritual home of wine.’
It is Serge’s trust for his wines, rooted in history and Lebanese terroir, that has led them to light the way for the natural wine movement. He would say: ‘My wines are natural. I am the one who makes them, but I do not interfere with nature. Taste them and listen to them and you will see!’ Serge enjoyed explaining this ‘No Touch Policy’ to anyone who would listen, and would eagerly show the incredible wines – both red and white – of complex longevity that were the result. He loved to travel, and it didn’t take him long to develop a worldwide support club for Chateau Musar, with followers eager every year to find out what his new vintage would bring.
That our wines – our vintages – are shaped by time is as clear today as it ever was. Take a look at the tasting notes for 15, 20 or 30-year old Chateau Musar and you will begin to understand the elegance that it develops as it evolves in bottle. This evolution is a vitally important part of Serge’s winemaking legacy, and that we, as a family, are determined to continue.
To know Chateau Musar as it truly should be known, takes an understanding of these and many other aspects of our lives in Lebanon that we talk about for the first time in a new book – Chateau Musar, the Story of a Wine Icon – published by the Académie du Vin Library. Our book brings together the people and events that have shaped our past, it highlights our vintages (red and white, from 1951 right up to our latest release) and celebrates everything we hope for the future. Harvest 2017In January, we experienced above average rain and snowfall which led to expectations that the water table would be replenished. More rain and snow followed in February and in March, the rain continued non-stop but into a mild spring with temperatures rising in April, though not excessively. In late April, a one-day frost hit the Bekaa valley but at the time, was not seen as particularly harmful. June witnessed a lowering of our expectations as after three weeks of normal temperatures, we saw an increase to 37 degrees on the 24th. This was to continue till mid-August, and, unusually in our Lebanese climate, affecting the vines and grapes, with yields dropping 30%. First day of harvest was the 3rd of August for the Chardonnay, ripe and yellowed by the sun. The continuous high temperatures from June to August had led to a reduction in quantities. On the reds, the harvest started with the Cabernet-Sauvignon on the 22nd August. It was followed by the Syrah on the 24th and Cinsault on the 4th September, Carignan on the 7th with Grenache last on the 13th September. |
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The World's Most Admired Wine Brands
At almost 85 years old, Château Musar has once again returned to our report. Steeped in tradition and history, Château Musar narrowly misses out on a place in the top 25. With 6,000 years of winemaking tradition it is only right that a Lebanese wine should appear in the top 30. |
Serge Hochar, whose father founded the Lebanese winery Chateau Musar, which gained an international reputation in spite of the travails of the nation’s 15-year civil war, has died in a swimming accident while on holidays in Mexico. He was 72.
Hochar’s father, Gaston, was 20 when he started planting the first vines near the village of Ghazir in the Bekaa Valley, north east of Beirut.
The Hochars hailed from Picardy in northern France. His ancestors came to Lebanon as knight Crusaders and stayed.
Serge, Gaston’s eldest son studied to be a civil engineer before switching to oenology and learning the craft with Emile Peynaud, the man named “the forefather of modern oenology”, in Bordeaux. Serge was one of five children, including three sisters and began working in the winery in his early teens, hand-washing bottles.
When his father proposed he become more heavily involved Serge issued a demand, saying “I want to make the wine my way, I want it to be known world-wide – and I want you to quit!” and became Chateau Musar winemaker in 1959. Three years later, his brother Ronald Hochar took charge of the financial and marketing side of the business.
“My brother looks after the liquid, I look after the liquidity,” Ronald quipped.
It would take Serge Hochar 18 years to find “his way” and define the “formula” for Chateau Musar’s reds. He was a natural winemaker 30 years before the term became fashionable. He produced Bourdeaux-style blends from cabernet sauvignon, carignan and cinsault grapes. They are funky and age well. The whites feature indigenous Lebanese grape varieties such as Obaideh and Merwah. The winery became organic in 2006.
A stroke of luck came in 1979 when English Master of Wine Michael Broadbent declared Chateau Musar’s 1967 vintage “Find of the Fair” at the Bristol Wine Fair and the winery began to sell into the UK and then Europe.
In 1984, Decanter magazine nominates Serge Hochar as its first Man of the Year, paying tribute to his dedication to producing great wine throughout Lebanon’s Civil War, which began in 1975 and continued until 1990. He only missed one vintage, 1976, because there was no electricity and the roads were impassable.
Serge is survived by two sons: Gaston and Marc, who both have studied engineering and worked in the banking, before Gaston took on the managing director role, while Marc succeeded his uncle Ronald in running the commercial side.