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Wine Description
The Story
Chateau Musar Rosé is a still and softly-oaked tribute to the ‘blended’ rosés of Champagne, a style much enjoyed by Serge Hochar. It is not made every year as specific grape qualities are required to ensure the varieties combine in elegant form. In youth the wines are salmon pink in colour, smooth, well-balanced and velvety-textured, with aromas and flavours of peaches, pears, oranges, grapefruit, almonds, wild herbs and citrus leaves. They develop mellow, spicy notes and tawny hues as they age.
Grapes and vines
The main components are Obaideh and Merwah, indigenous to the mountains of Lebanon and said to be related to Chardonnay and Semillon. Planted between 1920 and 1947 the Obaideh vineyards are in the foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountains on stony, chalky soils, while the Merwah vines are on the seaward side of Mount Lebanon on calcareous gravels. Yields are very low for these untrained bushvines: 15 to 25 hl per hectare. At high altitude (around 1400m) they are still on their own roots, among very few vineyards in the world of this calibre. Around 5% of southern red Rhône grape Cinsault gives the wine its subtle colour.
Winemaking
Fermented and aged for 6 to 9 months in French oak barrels from the forest of Nevers, the wines are bottled a year after the harvest and released for sale two years later.
Decanting and serving
Complex and concentrated, Chateau Musar Rosé shows at its best after several hours’ ‘breathing time’, and should be served ‘cellar cool’ at 15°C. The citrusy flavours excel with canapés, olives, nuts, seafood and Provençal dishes.
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.
Wine Information
Chateau Musar Rosé is a still and softly-oaked tribute to the typical ‘blended’ rosés of Champagne (comprising both red and white grapes), a style much-loved by the late Serge Hochar. This wine is not produced every single year as very specific grape characteristics are required to ensure that the varieties combine in fine, elegant form. In 2014, three varieties were used to create this unique wine.
White grapes Obaideh (2/3rds of the blend) and Merwah almost a third, said to be the ancestors of Chardonnay and Semillon, are both indigenous to Lebanon and date back thousands of years. They were harvested in late October 2014. The ungrafted, low-yielding, 80-90 year old vines are grown at around 1,300m in vineyards on the west facing Anti Lebanon mountain range and Mount Lebanon. From the Bekaa Valley, a small percentage of Cinsault is added which gives the wine its subtle salmon pink colour.
Fermentation and ageing for 9 months in French oak barrels were followed by bottling in July 2015.
The 2014 vintage has aromas of strawberries, apples and grapefruit with a hint of soft floral notes. The palate is well balanced with good acidity and a delicate juiciness from water-melon, nectarine and white peaches.
Serve lightly chilled as an aperitif with canapés, or with salmon and shell fish dishes – also perfect with tapas and mezze.