JANCIS ROBINSON - 17.5 (OUT OF 20)
Equal parts Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan. Aged in French oak for 12 months. Given what is happening in the Lebanon, the release of this wine is a miracle. Mid ruby, soft but not yet brick-coloured at the rim. Rich aroma of senescent red fruits, sweet leather and a suggestion of incense. Classic Musar layers of fruit and complex tertiary aromas, spicy. As always, sui generis. The tannins are firm, leathery but somehow taste sweet, with brisk red-fruit sweetness and yet fresh-tasting on the long finish. It’s unusual that the Cabernet does not dominate in a blend like this but the oxidative winemaking seems to give equal place to all three varieties. As it opens, that impression of incense turns into a floral note akin to lavender. Deliciously chewy on the finish, satisfyingly complete. If past vintages are anything to go by, this should continue to age for many years since it is already harmoniously evolved. Dry and leathery on the finish but not in the least drying. It does need food. Julia Harding MW
WINE SPECTATOR - 91 POINTS Distinctive, earthy style. Full bodied with salty acidity coursing through cherry, mocha and anise woven with thyme, rosemary and chewy tobacco and cigar box notes, buoyed by snappy acidity. Hint of gingersnap on the graphite-rich finish, lined in cool stony firmness. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut and Carignan. Drink now through 2030. 16,500 cases made, 1,000 cases imported. Published on July 17, 2026
WINERY NOTES: A dense deep red with our characteristic sweet/savoury/spicy blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastings from the vats in winter, revealed elegance and roundness with a spice-dominant palate – liquorice, clove, cinnamon with a warm coulis of red fruits. There are raspberries and blueberries on the palate, this is an elegant vintage, integrated and balanced with fine tannin. No sense of Cabernet Sauvignon here, a more Cinsault dominated vintage with softer red fruits. Marvellously warm Mediterranean fruits on the nose, would be autumnal but for their vigorous presence, as rich and robust as expected on the palate, almost the essence of Lebanon in the glass with rich spice and cooling breezes, the dry herby fruit flows with energy over the palate before giving way to a finish that confirms the structure, fruit and tannins blending in exuberantly with intriguing hints of much more to come in the next decade.
Equal parts Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan. Aged in French oak for 12 months. Given what is happening in the Lebanon, the release of this wine is a miracle. Mid ruby, soft but not yet brick-coloured at the rim. Rich aroma of senescent red fruits, sweet leather and a suggestion of incense. Classic Musar layers of fruit and complex tertiary aromas, spicy. As always, sui generis. The tannins are firm, leathery but somehow taste sweet, with brisk red-fruit sweetness and yet fresh-tasting on the long finish. It’s unusual that the Cabernet does not dominate in a blend like this but the oxidative winemaking seems to give equal place to all three varieties. As it opens, that impression of incense turns into a floral note akin to lavender. Deliciously chewy on the finish, satisfyingly complete. If past vintages are anything to go by, this should continue to age for many years since it is already harmoniously evolved. Dry and leathery on the finish but not in the least drying. It does need food. Julia Harding MW
WINE SPECTATOR - 91 POINTS Distinctive, earthy style. Full bodied with salty acidity coursing through cherry, mocha and anise woven with thyme, rosemary and chewy tobacco and cigar box notes, buoyed by snappy acidity. Hint of gingersnap on the graphite-rich finish, lined in cool stony firmness. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut and Carignan. Drink now through 2030. 16,500 cases made, 1,000 cases imported. Published on July 17, 2026
WINERY NOTES: A dense deep red with our characteristic sweet/savoury/spicy blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastings from the vats in winter, revealed elegance and roundness with a spice-dominant palate – liquorice, clove, cinnamon with a warm coulis of red fruits. There are raspberries and blueberries on the palate, this is an elegant vintage, integrated and balanced with fine tannin. No sense of Cabernet Sauvignon here, a more Cinsault dominated vintage with softer red fruits. Marvellously warm Mediterranean fruits on the nose, would be autumnal but for their vigorous presence, as rich and robust as expected on the palate, almost the essence of Lebanon in the glass with rich spice and cooling breezes, the dry herby fruit flows with energy over the palate before giving way to a finish that confirms the structure, fruit and tannins blending in exuberantly with intriguing hints of much more to come in the next decade.
