The Lafite of Lebanon ⭐️ Musar '04-'18 Glorious Immortal Wines
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Originally sent to our list on September 29, 2026. Pricing and availability reflect that date — for current pricing and stock, see artisan.wine.
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A Personal Note
Dear Artisans,
On April 3rd we poured nine wines from Chateau Musar at a masterclass here in the store. Two of them outsold everything else that night: the Hochar Père et Fils 2021 and the 2012 Chateau Musar Rouge.
The reds taste like a great Bordeaux and a great Chateauneuf-du-Pape combined. The whites taste like great Rioja Blanco meets great Hermitage/Chateauneuf Blanc. They are my two highest recommendations, and they are the two we have the most of, so they come first below. After them you will find every other Musar we have in stock: the reds back to 2004, the whites back to 2012, the rosé and l’Arack.
The Lafite Of Lebanon
Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar in 1930, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, after time in Bordeaux. His son Serge took over the winemaking in 1959 and gave Musar its character: native yeasts, no fining, no filtering, and reds that wait years in the cellar before release. Today Serge’s sons, Gaston and Marc, carry it on.
In 1984 Decanter named Serge Hochar its first-ever Man of the Year, a title later given to the proprietors of Château Latour, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Château Lafite Rothschild.
A Winery Forged In War
Lebanon’s civil war began in 1975 and lasted fifteen years. Musar kept making wine through it; grapes were smuggled across active front lines to reach the winery.
The wider world noticed in 1979, when Michael Broadbent of Christie’s called the 1967 Musar the “discovery of the fair” at the Bristol Wine Fair.
“The Best Musar I Have Ever Tasted”
That line is from a CellarTracker collector who has been drinking Musar for twenty years, writing about the 2012. He scored it 96: “The 2012 is a work of art. It’s the pinnacle of fearlessly original winemaking… It has nerve, energy and tension in glorious abundance… A true work of genius.” His full note is below.
CellarTracker community note on the 2012, October 2020
Steven Spurrier tasted the 2012 in 2019 and wrote that it needed to “move into its second decade to show its vineyard character to the full.” It is fourteen years old now.
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Why This Matters
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Masterclass Best Seller · Our Top Pick
2021 Hochar Père et Fils Rouge.
Wine Enthusiast 95. Decanter 92. From a single Musar vineyard in the West Bekaa.
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Chateau Musar “Hochar Père et Fils” Rouge 2021
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon · 13.5% Alcohol
Hochar Père et Fils is often described as the ‘second’ wine of Chateau Musar, but its vineyard, blend and aging are its own. It comes from a single vineyard in the Western Bekaa Valley, near the village of Aana, deep gravel over limestone, at 20 to 25 hectolitres per hectare. Every review is below.
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Masterclass Best Seller · Fourteen Years Old
2012 Chateau Musar Rouge.
“This is the best Musar I have ever tasted.” A CellarTracker collector, 96 points.
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Chateau Musar Rouge 2012
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon · 14.8% Alcohol
An equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan from a year of contrasts: a snowy winter, a hot June, then a July heat wave of 39 to 40°C that made the harvest much smaller than we had initially hoped. Musar blended it in February 2015 and bottled it that summer. The estate’s note: “big developed ripe fruit”, juicy black fruit, mocha and leather, and “a beautiful lingering finish.”
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Every Other Musar We Have · The Reds
The Grand Vin, Back To 2004
Chateau Musar Rouge in three vintages, plus the Levantine.
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Chateau Musar Rouge 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon · Cinsault · Carignan
The estate says a vintage like 2004 only happens on average once in every decade. Decanter: “A beautiful development of mature red cherries, plums and sweet spice… seductive and refined too.”
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Chateau Musar Rouge 2017
Cabernet Sauvignon · Cinsault · Carignan
Neal Martin at Vinous: “a perfumed bouquet with well-defined plummy red fruit, fireside embers and pressed flower scents… harmonious, not powerful, yet full of flavor.”
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Chateau Musar Rouge 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon · Cinsault · Carignan
Wine Enthusiast, 95: “Fresh and dried cherries, just-picked raspberries, figs and juicy dates headline this impeccably balanced, garnet-hued blend… Drink it now or in several years; either way, you’ll be glad you did.”
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Levantine de Musar Rouge 2024
Cinsault 50% · Tempranillo 40% · Cabernet 10%
Unoaked and vibrant. Wine Enthusiast, 95: “Juicy red fruits, subtle floral notes, and spicy and minerally flavors give this red blend layers of complexity and vibrancy. Serve it with a slight chill…”
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The Whites
Obaideh And Merwah, Back To 2012
Chateau Musar Blanc from ancient Lebanese grapes, plus the Jeune Blanc.
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Chateau Musar Blanc 2012
Obaideh 60% · Merwah 40%
From un-grafted vines on original rootstock, planted 50 to 90 years ago at 1,200 metres. Decanter found it reminiscent of Bordeaux Blancs from the 1960s: “joyfully fresh and expressive.”
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Chateau Musar Blanc 2016
Obaideh · Merwah
Falstaff, 92: “a very individualistic bouquet of autochthonous varieties. Slender, subtle fruit sweetness shows on the palate in the form of some guava, supported by well integrated acidity. A touch of blossom honey on the finish.”
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Chateau Musar Blanc 2017
Obaideh 60% · Merwah 40%
The estate’s note: apples, fresh hay and orange flower, with sweet basil, peach and tarte tatin flavours that will develop with age. Cellared well, it will keep for decades.
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Chateau Musar Blanc 2018
Obaideh 60% · Merwah 40%
Wine Enthusiast, 96: “The beautifully textured palate of this creamy, amber-hued wine has nuanced lemon, tangerine, clove, honey, and gently oxidative flavors. Expect velvety tannins on the long, citrus-driven finish.”
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Musar Jeune Blanc 2023
Viognier · Vermentino · Chardonnay
Unoaked, from organically certified vineyards at 1,000 metres: passionfruit, apples, elderflowers and a dry, refreshing finish.
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Musar Jeune Blanc 2021
Viognier 40% · Vermentino 30% · Chardonnay 30%
The estate’s note: pineapple, pear and apricots with basil and thyme, and a rich, honeyed mouthfeel that is still vibrantly fresh.
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The Rosé And l’Arack
Two Rarities
A rosé Musar does not make every year, and the Levant’s own spirit.
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Chateau Musar Rosé 2018
Obaideh 57% · Merwah 40% · Cinsault 3%
A still, softly-oaked tribute to the ‘blended’ rosés of Champagne, a style Serge Hochar loved. It is not made every year. Spiced orange, raspberries and a hint of vanilla.
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l’Arack de Musar
Grape Spirit With Anise · 53% · 750 mL
Grape spirit with an average age of five years, distilled four times with anise seed added in the last distillation, then aged a year in terracotta amphoras. Serve one part arak to two parts water, over ice.
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The Bottom Line
Two masterclass favorites, and the whole Musar shelf.
Start where our masterclass guests did: the Hochar Père et Fils 2021 at $38.99 and the 2012 Chateau Musar Rouge at $119.99.
Then pick a vintage: the Grand Vin back to 2004, the white back to 2012, the rosé and l’Arack.
Cheers,
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Artisan Wine & Spirits · 2495 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043
Questions? Chat Live · sales@artisan.wine · 650-917-8080 |
The Artisan VIP List
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