2001 Chateau Musar Rouge [JG94][W&S93][D93][WA91]

2001 Chateau Musar Rouge [JG94][W&S93][D93][WA91]
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Producer: Chateau Musar
Region: Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan
Year: 2001
John Gilman, 94 Points
"The 2001 Château Musar has long had a reputation as one of the greatest recent vintages from this property, so I was delighted when Marc Hochar included it in the more youthful examples of the wine for me to taste in preparation for this article. At age fifteen the 2001 has now reached a lovely point in its evolution for current drinking, as it delivers a fine bouquet of raspberries, cherries, spices meats, a fine base of stony soil tones, cigar wrapper, a bit of pepper, garrigue and a touch of cedar. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and shows beautiful mid-palate depth, with impeccable balance, fine focus and grip, melting tannins and outstanding complexity on the long and utterly classic finish. I drank a fair bit of Château Musar from the decade of the 1970s in my formative years in the wine trade, and this 2001 reminds me very strongly of what the beautiful 1978 and 1979 drank like back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. This is a classic Musar!"
Wine & Spirits, 93 Points
"As elegant as Serge Hochar himself, the man behind Château Musar, this blend of cabernet sauvignon, carignan and cinsault is lithe yet firm. The fruit feels autumnal, in shades of rust red and ocher spice, and is saturated with a spicy, foresty fragrance. It's delicious now, ready for game birds scented with juniper berries, and should live on for another decade."
Decanter, 93 Points
"Following a very hot summer, they harvested earlier than usual in 2001. This is full of flavor, with black fruit notes coming through, and a hint of chocolate and cigar box. It has lifted acidity and silky tannins, with some dried floral notes on the finish. There's a touch of brett funk, but in a nice way, and it adds complexity to the wine."
Wine Advocate, 91 Points
"The 2001 CHATEAU MUSAR, bottled in 2004, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan, aged for one year in French oak. Nuanced by cherries and spice, it is quite delicious. Which wine you like better of this lineup—the 01 or 00, or even the 02 Hochar, is a matter of taste, perhaps, more than any inherent quality issue, as the styles are rather different. The ’00 is the powerhouse bruiser, the most rustic, while the Hochar is the approachable, easier wine. This is the one in the middle, arguably the best balance of fruit and power. On the downside, this is as gamey and funky as the 2000, but the balance is different, the wine seeming fruitier and fleshier, not quite as austere. Depending on your taste, you may find that a good thing, or prefer the more powerful and intellectual 2000. This is still powerful, I hasten to add, with drying notes on the finish, but the fruitiness melds beautifully with the barnyard notes, and it is nicely supported by the tannin rather than overwhelmed. As with the 2000, this should age well, although the 2000 should age longer, and this will be a wine some will love, and some will find has too much barnyard. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot, and was just imagining how it would work with venison."
Alcohol: 13.5%
*Discounts do not apply to items like this one in the Fine & Rare category. Price and availability in store may vary.