Obaideh (60%), Merwah (40%)
75cl * Vegan * 12% ABV * Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Serge Hochar, the driving force behind Lebanon's Chateau Musar, once remarked of the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, ‘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 Bekaa. Why? Because the Romans and Greeks, the Phoenicians and Minoans, and all peoples who came before them, all knew that the Bekaa is the spiritual home of wine.’ His wines most definitely uphold this legacy.
The Chateau Musar white is produced from the ancient Lebanese grape varieties of Obaideh and Merwah, grown on vineyards planted between 50-90 years ago, 1,300 metres above sea level, at the the foothills of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains.
The 2018 Vintage was marked by adequate rainfall levels and warm temperatures, encouraging the vines to open and fruit to ripen nicely. The grapes were pressed, racked and fermented separately in new French oak barrels for 9 months before blending and bottling in 2019.
The wine is rich, yet dry, and intensely citrusy with honeyed nuances. A nose of orange blossom and oregano lead into vibrant pear and apple fruit flavours on the palate, which will develop as the wine ages. It would benefit from decanting and, cellared well, it will keep for decades. Serve at cellar temperature (15°C) rather than chilled.