2004 Chateau Musar Rouge [JG93][D92][WA91]

Producer: Chateau Musar  
Region: Bekaa Valley, Lebanon  
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan 
Year: 2004 

John Gilman, 93 Points 

"The 2004 vintage of Château Musar is a touch cooler in aromatic profile than the very promising 2008, offering up a very complex constellation of cherries, black raspberries, a touch of currant, a gorgeous signature of soil, woodsmoke, beautiful spice tones, sandalwood, just a touch of pepper and a topnote of lavender. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and laser-like in its focus, with a beautiful core of sweet fruit, lovely transparency and complexity, ripe, well-integrated tannins and excellent length and grip on the very promising finish. It is interesting that there are really no signs of garrigue on the nose of the 2004, but at the backend of the palate, it is just loaded with it! This is already into its plateau of maturity and is drinking with breed and style, but it will continue to improve for at least the next decade and really deserves a bit more bottle age to allow it to fully reach its apogee. Great juice." 

Decanter, 92 Points 

"On the tongue, it’s soft, voluptuous and sweetly graceful, with a gentleness of fruit articulation and a lightness of touch which marks it out from its peers. The shapely, high-toned acids are as prominent as the tannins in this wine, though those tannins still have some true Bekaa ‘cut’ to them; there are chocolate, plum, mushroom and undergrowth flavours in this seductive, moreish wine." 

Wine Advocate, 91 Points 

"The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar... Its balance, combining the nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is delicious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremarkable, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will certainly do better with food." 

Alcohol: 13.5% 

*Discounts do not apply to items like this one in the Fine & Rare category. Price and availability in store may vary.