Musar’s Hochar Pere et Fils 2021 is a blend of Cinsault 50%, Grenache 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10% sourced from a specially selected vineyard near the village of Aana in the Bekaa Valley, near the village of Aana. It is characterised by deep, gravelly soil over a
limestone base and 1,000m above sea level. Vines here have an average age of 30 years old, yields are low, 20-30
hectolitres per hectare, which results in concentrated full flavored wine. The grapes were fermented in concrete vats using only the wild yeasts. The wine was aged in French oak for six months before being bottled.
Harvest
Fortunately after having had various extreme climatic conditions in previous years, 2021 was a return to the "good old days" when everything went like clockwork. Pruning and ploughing began in December 2020, followed by a snowy, rainy January and February. More rain fell in March and although it was cold at the start of April, it warmed up by the middle of the month. Summer of 2021 was milder than usual with the hottest month being July which was perfect for ripening and changing the colour of our red varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon was the first to be harvested on the 27th August, showing its' power with mint and coffee characteristics, Grenache as usual with its' rose aroma but without a single gram of residual sugar, followed on the 2nd September followed by high quality Cinsault on the 4th.
Winemaking
The grapes fermented at temperatures of 27-29 ° C with 15 to 20 days maceration in cement vats, followed by 6 months in French Nevers oak barrels. It was blended in the Autumn of 2022 and bottled during the Summer of 2023.
Tasting Notes
Dark ruby in color with cherry fruit, sweet spices and a smokiness on the nose. Cherries and blackcurrant follow through to the palate with a hint of rose (from the Grenache of this year). It is an elegant vintage with a long future ahead, from a year with no climatic extremes – from winter pruning to the September harvest.
Hochar Pere et Fils has been incorrectly described as the ‘second’ wine of Chateau Musar. Although it does bear some resemblance to the ‘Grand Vin’, since it is rich and spicy with good fruit and a mellow quality derived from lengthy oak and bottle ageing, it is a different blend of grape varieties from a different vineyard source. When young, the wines are robust and aromatic, with baked plum, warm earth, leather, thyme and dark chocolate characters. With age they become tawnier and spicier.
In 1930, at just 20-years-old, Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar, inspired by Lebanon’s 6,000-year winemaking tradition and his travels in Bordeaux. Flanked by snow-covered mountains, and nestled at 3,000 feet above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (77ºF; encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoiled, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined.
Harvest
Fortunately after having had various extreme climatic conditions in previous years, 2021 was a return to the "good old days" when everything went like clockwork. Pruning and ploughing began in December 2020, followed by a snowy, rainy January and February. More rain fell in March and although it was cold at the start of April, it warmed up by the middle of the month. Summer of 2021 was milder than usual with the hottest month being July which was perfect for ripening and changing the colour of our red varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon was the first to be harvested on the 27th August, showing its' power with mint and coffee characteristics, Grenache as usual with its' rose aroma but without a single gram of residual sugar, followed on the 2nd September followed by high quality Cinsault on the 4th.
Winemaking
The grapes fermented at temperatures of 27-29 ° C with 15 to 20 days maceration in cement vats, followed by 6 months in French Nevers oak barrels. It was blended in the Autumn of 2022 and bottled during the Summer of 2023.
Tasting Notes
Dark ruby in color with cherry fruit, sweet spices and a smokiness on the nose. Cherries and blackcurrant follow through to the palate with a hint of rose (from the Grenache of this year). It is an elegant vintage with a long future ahead, from a year with no climatic extremes – from winter pruning to the September harvest.
Hochar Pere et Fils has been incorrectly described as the ‘second’ wine of Chateau Musar. Although it does bear some resemblance to the ‘Grand Vin’, since it is rich and spicy with good fruit and a mellow quality derived from lengthy oak and bottle ageing, it is a different blend of grape varieties from a different vineyard source. When young, the wines are robust and aromatic, with baked plum, warm earth, leather, thyme and dark chocolate characters. With age they become tawnier and spicier.
In 1930, at just 20-years-old, Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar, inspired by Lebanon’s 6,000-year winemaking tradition and his travels in Bordeaux. Flanked by snow-covered mountains, and nestled at 3,000 feet above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (77ºF; encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoiled, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined.
