{"product_id":"chateau-musar-rose-2018-bekaa-valley-lebanon","title":"Chateau Musar Rose 2018 (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the wine:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eChateau Musar Rosé is a still and softly-oaked tribute to the ‘blended’ rosés of Champagne, a style much enjoyed by Serge Hochar. It is not made every year as specific grape qualities are required to ensure the varieties combine in elegant form. In their youth the wines are salmon pink in colour, smooth, well-balanced and velvety-textured, with aromas and flavours of peaches, pears, oranges, grapefruit, almonds, wild herbs and citrus leaves. They develop mellow, spicy notes and tawny hues as they age.\u003cbr\u003eThe main components are Obaideh and Merwah, indigenous to the mountains of Lebanon and said to be related to Chardonnay and Semillon. Planted between 1920 and 1947 the Obaideh vineyards are in the foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountains on stony, chalky soils, while the Merwah vines are on the seaward side of Mount Lebanon on calcareous gravels. Yields are very low for these untrained bushvines: 15 to 25 hl per hectare. At high altitude (around 1400m) they are still on their own roots, among very few vineyards in the world of this calibre. Around 5% of southern red Rhône grape Cinsault gives the wine its subtle colour.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrape Varietals:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA blend of 57% Obaideh, 40% Merwah and 3% Cinsault is barrel fermented and aged for 9 months in 100% new Nevers oak barrels, then rested in tank for 6 months before being bottles in the Autumn of 2019.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2018 began with an impressive 355mm of rain and snow in January, while February was also abundant with 162mm of rain to irrigate the soils. March followed with 41mm and April, with 27mm, was the icing on the cake. After the 15th of April, a surprise increase in temperature encouraged the vines to open. May \u0026amp; June were exceptional as 52mm and 32mm of rain fell during the blooming period; the vines loved the additional water and the harvest certainly looked promising. July was true to form with no water and temperatures increased to an average of 35 degrees Celsius. Then in August we had a 3day heatwave with temperatures of 39 and 40 degrees.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePale bright mandarin colour with a delicate aroma of raspberries and soft red berry fruits with citrus notes of tangerine and caramelised orange. There is also vanilla spice from the oak and all these characters follow through to the palate with flavours of spiced orange, raspberries and a hint of vanilla from the barrel ageing. As the wine evolves in the bottle, its aromatic complexity will develop and enhance further.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SOUTHERN \/ AMERICAN \/ PACIFIC WINE \u0026 SPIRITS","offers":[{"title":"750 mL","offer_id":53036581945709,"sku":null,"price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0481\/8940\/7391\/files\/Screenshot_2026-02-21_165948.png?v=1771722013","url":"https:\/\/artisan.wine\/products\/chateau-musar-rose-2018-bekaa-valley-lebanon","provider":"Artisan W\u0026S","version":"1.0","type":"link"}