Tag Archives: Cinsault

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

Fram Cinsault 2021, Citrusdal Mountain, South Africa

14 Wednesday May 2025

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Pale ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of cranberry, rhubarb, red cherry, vanilla, coffee, singed alder, and a slightly green herb note.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of rhubarb, cranberry, red cherry, and charred wood.  The finish is medium in length, slightly tart and very delicious.  This wine started off with a muted nose, attacked with really enjoyable red fruit and has a delightful structure that is very appealing.  This varietal is normally blended or used in rosé production.  Seeing it as a stand alone was a no-brainer.   Really yummy and worthy of 90 points.  I would drink it till 2028 with lighter meat dishes, the delicacy of this wine does not need a big fatty Ribeye.  For $17 a bottle, you gotta grab a few.  5 stars.  Salut….

Fram Cinsault

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….

Clos des Fous Pour Ma Gueule 2019, Maule Valley, Central Valley, Chile

14 Thursday Sep 2023

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Pale ruby colored with a bit of haze and medium viscosity ((13% ABV).  The nose needs a bit of coaxing but once there- red and black cherry, baking spice, blueberry pie and herbs.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and low tannins.  A medium body that reveals a smooth mouthfeel with flavors of cherry, a medicinal note, coffee and herbs.  The finish is short to medium in length and ends on a bit of a sour note.  It’s a decent drop that gets 87 points from me and should drink nicely till 2027.  For $15 it gets 3 stars. This Cinsault blend has some Pais and Carignan.  It got 91 points from others, I don’t see how.  Salut….

Chateau Musar 2000, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

27 Sunday Nov 2022

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When I select wines for our Virtual Wine Tasting Company I save one for the last bottle in the series.  We have drunk various vintages of Chateau Musar but this closer was the most controversial of them all and also my wine of the night/series/case etc.  I loved it.  Others hated it.

Pale to medium garnet it is textbook Musar in appearance with that gorgeous orange tint in the glass.  Also textbook- sweaty horse aromas with stewed cherry, strawberry compote, tobacco, leather and Brett.  Right up my alley.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, medium (-) tannins and pronounced flavors of baked cherry, pomegranate syrup, tobacco, leather, earth and a touch of that funk.  Extremely well balanced, this medium bodied wine showed off a long finish- very impressive for a bottle with 22 years of age.  A spectacular wine that I awarded 94 points to and will look for again.  An equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan runs $72 a bottle it gets 5 stars from me.  Pairing-wise it is difficult to imaging drinking this wine with any food.  It has such unique, amazing flavors that need to be savored in isolation.  Salut….

 

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012, Rhone, France

20 Wednesday Apr 2022

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It’s my birthday so this treat got pulled to go along with char-grilled New York Strip steaks.  At 10 years of age it is still deep ruby colored with no signs of bricking.  The nose is intense with gorgeous aromas of ripe raspberry, red licorice, violets, red plums, vanilla, garigue, coffee and black cherry- it is amazingly complex and the smells are making my mouth water.  The palate is dry, slightly tannic and delicious.  Super smooth and full bodied, this blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah presents a mouthful of flavors and great structure from the medium firm tannins that are integrating nicely along with medium (+) acidity.  The finish is quite long and tends toward red and sour cherry with raspberry supporting.  The tannins are fine grained on the back end and caress my gums ever so.  A beautiful wine that is in youth right now and will drink well till 2030 at the least.  94 points for this silky smooth $100 offering makes it a 5 star wine to be opened at special occasions.  Salut….

Chateau Kefraya Les Breteches 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

28 Tuesday Dec 2021

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I am cooking Middle Eastern fare so this blend of 40% Syrah, 25% Cab Sav, 20% Tempranillo and 15% Cinsault should go nicely.  It’s a deep ruby, almost opaque.  I get spices and brambly fruit on the nose.  Black currants, blackberry, plum and licorice.  There is also a smell that I can only describe as ‘purple fruit’.  It is mesmerizing.  The palate is dry with juicy acidity, nicely integrated tannins and lots of brooding dark fruit.  The purple factor is missing but I do get some meaty undertones along with some oak nuance by way of charred wood and the spices I caught on the nose.  Medium weight body and decently long finish.  The tannins are a little more grippy on the back end and balance out the acidity nicely, which is exactly what I need for the fatty lamb kofta skewers.  I like this wine, the varietals each contribute nicely to the package and it has good mouthfeel, even though it is still youthful.  I would drink till 2028 at the least.  This $15 wine gets 89 points from me and 4 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Musar 1998, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon pt.2

25 Thursday Nov 2021

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It’s Thanksgiving and I am pouring this Cabernet Sauvignon.  But here’s the kicker, this wine is so unique that it doesn’t even look like a Cab.  Blended with Cinsault and Carignan it always shows a very pale reddish orange hue in the glass.  It looks like aged Burgundy.  The nose is as expected- full of earth, stewed cherry, forest floor, strawberry, red licorice, pomegranate, dried cranberry, meaty, farmyard….. Wow.  The palate is super smooth.  Slightly tart, it has very fine-grained tannins and complex flavors of red fruit, oaky notes of toast and layers of tertiary flavors like farmyard, stewed fruit, dried fruit and meat.  The body is light to medium and the finish is long.  Another spectacular bottle of Lebanese decadence that will drink well forever.  The last ’98 Musar I had was in Magnum, this one a bit more developed but showing no signs of throttling back.  Read about my last tasting here.  This truly is a remarkable wine that gets 94 points.  At $80 it is a 5 star treat.  Salut….

Chateau Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose 2019, France

11 Sunday Jul 2021

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We kicked off the 19th Virtual Wine Tasting with this French rosé, served at room temp and chilled for comparison. The wine is a lovely pale orange in the glass. The tasters found aromas and flavors of apricot, almond, tangerine, strawberry, citrus, marzipan and pink grapefruit. The chilled version was more intense with peach, quince, citrus, honeysuckle and green pear on the nose and peach, rhubarb (?), orange and crab apples on the palate. We felt the wine was a touch sour with a bitter aftertaste. The room temp version had medium acidity whilst the chilled one was more acidic. Overall I give the wine 88 points. Drink now with smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail or a salad Nicoise. At $20 per, it gets 3 stars from me. Salut….