Tag Archives: bekaa valley

Chateau Musar ‘Musar Jeune’ Red 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

22 Saturday Nov 2025

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Deep ruby colored with an inky core, and high viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, game, bacon, garigue, a medicinal note, brambleberry, black currant, and acai berry.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are fresh and grippy.  Medium (+) intensity flavors mimic the nose, except that medicinal note, which was quite pronounced when smelling the glass.  It’s a young wine, yet it delivers solid fruit flavors and shows off nice structure.  The finish is a little shorter than I had hoped but the tannins tickle my gums for quite a while.  It’s totally different than an aged bottle of the Grand Vin, but it’s very enjoyable and will pair nicely with my pasta and meatballs.  It’s a blend of Cinsault (35%), Syrah (35%), and Cab Sav (15%).  I’m a fan, going with 91 points for this $22 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2035.  Salut….

Chateau Musar 'Musar Jeune' Red

Massaya Classic – Le Colombier Rouge 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

16 Tuesday Sep 2025

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black raspberry, cedar, blackberry coulis, menthol,  coffee bean, dark chocolate, wild herb, and ripe fig.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are pretty grippy.  The flavors hone in on black fruit with iodine, menthol and oaky wood notes.  It’s a young bottle, which is typical for Lebanese wines- they have great longevity.  The finish is pretty dry and tannin driven for the first part.  The fruit notes end medium in length, leaving me with a slightly bitter after taste.  It’s yummy, but young.  It’s a blend of 35% Grenache Noir, 35% Consult, and 30% Tempranillo.  I would give it a potential 90 points, it cost me $19 and gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2035.  Salut….

Massaya Le Colombier Rouge

St Thomas le Merlot A 2005, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

10 Friday Jan 2025

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Deep garnet colored with amber highlights, moderate staining and medium viscosity (No back label and no ABV info posted).  The nose of this aged Merlot has medium (+) intensity aromas of mushroom, truffles, baked earth, dried blackberry, game, cocoa, coffee, blueberry ganache, prunes, and leather.  Simply stunning.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium (+) body and medium (+) tannins that are still a touch gritty with some bite.  The secondary notes of mushroom, truffles, earth, and leather dominate this complex and layered wine.  The fruit shows in a dried and mature way giving way to the evolution.  The finish is quite a dry affair, the tannins are still fearsome but the length is long and slightly tart.  This wine is a chameleon- the nose is so complex and mature yet the tannic structure is interfering, refusing to meld away.  Here are the disclaimers- this bottle can only be purchased ex-cellar.  My cousins own the winery.  This bottle is in magnum and I used my Coravin to taste it in anticipation of dinner at a steak house tonight.  There.  It’s a delightful wine that gets 94 points from me and what the heck- 5 stars as pricing is unknown.  This winery continues to show me the power of well made Lebanese wines and how they manage to age so beautifully.  Salut….

st Thomas merlot A

Massaya Classic – Le Colombier Rouge 2020, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

27 Tuesday Feb 2024

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Medium ruby with medium viscosity (14.5% ABV) and it looks unfined/unfiltered.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black raspberries, licorice, charred oak, coffee, cardamom, red plum and white pepper.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium body and medium (+) tannins.  Flavors of black raspberry and licorice dominate with plum, pepper, coffee, cardamom and violet supporting.  The alcohol is quite noticeable btw.  The tannins are very fine grained and quite prominent throughout.  The finish is long with red fruit and some spice.  It says to serve this blend of 35% Grenache Noir, 35% Cinsault, 30% Tempranillo slightly chilled….  I like it just fine at room temp and think it gets 89 points.  For  $22 it gets 4 stars from me.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Chateau Ksara Red 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

18 Thursday Jan 2024

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Deep ruby, bordering on inky garnet with slight staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this Cab Sav/Merlot and Petit Verdot blend has medium intensity aromas of vanilla, mint, black cherry, cassis, açaí, black raspberry, leather and espresso.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and a medium body.  The palate starts off with açaí berry, followed by the cassis, black raspberry, vanilla and mint.  The tannins are very polished and chalky leading to a nice mouthfeel.  The finish is medium in length and tends towards the raspberry, leather and vanilla.  The structure of this wine is really approachable which is nice.  I find many Lebanese wines that are age worthy need a few extra years before the pieces integrate into a nice drinking wine.  This one is performing nicely and will continue to do so till 2032.  I would pair it with grilled kebabs, some roast Lamb or Filet Mignon with peppercorn sauce.  I paid $22 and would give this beaut 91 points making it a 5 star wine in my books.  Salut….

Chateau Ksara Cuvee Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

03 Wednesday Jan 2024

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Deep ruby colored with minimal staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV). The nose has dusty aromas of black plum, blackberry, baking spices, black raspberry and Cassis. There’s a touch of charcoal on the very end as well. The pallet is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are very silky and powdery. Medium to full bodied- the wine has flavors of Cassis, plums, black raspberry, baking spices, vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus. It finishes a touch tart, but I’m liking that refreshing aspect.  It’s a medium length affair that is enjoyable with some licorice, dark fruit and ripe raspberry to end. 90 points from me for this $22 bottle makes it a five star wine to drink till 2028.  Salut….

Clos St. Thomas Les Emirs Rouge 2014, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

30 Saturday Dec 2023

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Medium garnet colored with high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose of this nine year old wine has aromas of beautiful baked plums, black cherry reduction, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, toasty oak and a hint of menthol.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are well integrated and very polished.  Mostly tertiary in nature the flavors consist of baked dark red fruit with vanilla, baking spices, cocoa and coffee with a hint of cracked black pepper on the mid palate.  The tannins are sublime, making for a great mouthfeel.  The flavors carry on and on with a long finish promised and delivered.  Delicious and at peak, this wine is showing the power of its terroir and the skill in winemaking.  93 points from me for this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache.  I trekked all the way to the city to pick up every bottle they had which at $19 per was a great price.  5 stars, drink till 2028.  Salut….

Clos St. Thomas ‘Le Merlot A’ 2010, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

24 Sunday Dec 2023

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Deep garnet colored with high viscosity (14% ABV) and slight staining on the walls.  The nose has intense aromas of cassis, ripe blackberry, black plum, coffee, mint, cocoa, vanilla, licorice and charred toasty oak.  It’s quite complex but surprisingly youthful at 13 years of cellaring.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are silky smooth.  A full body with ripe flavors of cassis, blackberry and plum coupled with oak-derived notes of coffee, cocoa, vanilla, charred oak alongside mint and licorice.  It’s quite a melange of flavors that carry throughout to a medium length finish.  This Merlot is young and will cellar for another decade, hopefully developing some nice tertiary aromas and flavors.  It is only available at the winery due to limited production- it’s the winemaker’s pride and joy.  A delicious wine that gets 92 points from me.  Not sure on pricing so I will award 5 stars.  Salut….

Clos St. Thomas ‘Chateau St. Thomas’ Rouge 2015, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

10 Sunday Dec 2023

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Deep garnet colored with moderate staining on the walls and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of baking spices with ripe blackberry, cassis, black plum, vanilla, coffee, menthol and mulberry preserves.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are slightly chalky.  The wine is full bodied and I get medium (+) intensity flavors of ripe black berries, finely integrated oak nuance and tertiary development.  The vanilla, baking spices, coffee and menthol are the supporting characters to the blackberry, mulberry and cassis notes.  The finish is long and delicious.  One of my favorite wineries that continues to overdeliver wines that have excellent aging capacity and bring much pleasure.  I would go with 93 points for this $30 wine that gets 5 stars.  Drink this Cab Sav, Merlot and Syrah blend till 2035.  Salut….

Chateau Musar Blanc 1998, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

07 Monday Aug 2023

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I picked up this bottle at the winery late last year and was looking for the right time to open it.  My buddy invited us for dinner and I offered him a choice:  Riesling, Chardonnay or White Musar.

It showed a gorgeous medium amber in the glass with medium viscosity (12.5% ABV).  Intense aromas of honey, lanolin, sliced apricot, warm nuts, vanilla thread, bruised yellow apple and baking spices.  On the palate it had medium acidity and a medium body- silky smooth with a long finish.  The flavors were layered and complex, coating my mouth with waves of stunningly delicious wine.  It was a come-to-Jesus moment for me to taste such a unique wine that has slumbered for 25 years, waiting to unleash itself onto my palate.  We paired it with a tomato salad followed by miso glazed mushrooms.  Stunning.  It’s rare to find one, but at $100 per bottle- grab at least a bottle of this 98 point wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Its cellaring capacity is virtually unlimited, so drink it over the next 30 years.  Indigenous Lebanese grapes- Obeidah dominated with Merwah supporting.  Salut….