Chateau Musar Wine Tasting

I will be the first to admit that I was a bit nervous to have people taste these wines.  I have always loved the juice, but being that the wines are so old school in style, I didn't know how people would react to them. It seems most wine makers are now making more wines that have high alcohol, over-extracted oak bombs for wines.  Musar is not that at all.

The day started with me decanting the 2002 Chateau Musar at 10AM...tasting did not start until  3PM.  So let's recap, 5 hours of decanting before the tasting of the '02 Musar.  We started with the 2010 Musar Jeune Blanc, pretty clear with a very light hay color.  Nose had a light citrus note with some minerals hanging around.  On the palate, the citrus came out yet not as much as it did on the nose.  Very soft on the palate, not flabby but soft.  Finished pretty smooth and fluffy. I liked it.

We then moved to the '04 Hochar Pere et Fils Rouge which at first I placed third on the tasting but it was a little lighter than the other so it went second.  It was pretty soft with notes of ripe red fruit, light pepper and hints of chopped green bell pepper.  The palate was nice, almost Pinot Noir-like, yet with a little more acidity.  Finish was nice and smooth.

Next up was the '09 Musar Jeune Rouge which was something of a dream to taste.  Rich notes of currants, spices and dark black fruit.  Light tobacco and earth hit the palate first, then came in the fruit.  This wine reminded me of something out of the Rhone region as the dirt was a big player yet fruit hung around like someone passed gas.  Oh what, nobody ever farts? The palate was rich and medium to full-bodied with good acidity.  Balanced yet wanted to show you more.  And the best part it was only $17!  I really love these wines.

Then we came to the 'real' show of the tasting, the 2002 Chateau Musar Rouge.  After being decanted for 5 hours I felt it was ready.  The color was like any other non-filtered red wine that had been sitting around for 8 years.  It was actually pretty light with a garnet center and a light brown rim.  Good earth notes with some decent amount of dark fruit hanging around as well.  The palate was off the hook as it was very soft or even delicate with notes of more soil, plums and light tobacco.  This was a very nice wine!  The finish had a light cooked brown sugar on it as the perfectly balanced acidity and tannins slowly went away.  Holy crap, this is a nice wine.  $45 on the shelf and only 13.5% alcohol!  

Overall, it was a great tasting and we sold out of all the 02 Chateau Musar.  I really did not see that one coming as it is $45 but hey, the people have spoken and they want great wines, traditional wine making and a great value.  Chateau Musar...I salute you!