Origin  Lebanon Bekaa Valley
Style  Medium bodied dry red
Grape  Cabernet Sauvignon  Cinsault  Carignan

The one and only, unforgettable wine from the Bekaa Valley in the Lebanon.  Made by Serge Hochar from a vineyard planted by his father Gaston 1930.  The wines are 7 years in the making, with 12 months in French oak before lengthly bottle ageing in the family's stone winery.  The vineyards are high up in the mountains of Lebanon, snow-covered in winter and with no surrounding agriculture or farming are pristine in their purity.   Gaston Hochar was greatly influenced by Major Ronald Barton,  (of Bordeaux Chateau Leoville Barton) when he was stationed in the Lebanon during the war.      As a consequence the Chateau Musar style was based on the great wines of Bordeaux, yet it is blended with two Rhone grapes the Carignan and Cinsault that do well in this extremes of temperature in the Bekaa Valley.  

It makes for an interesting combination and an unforgettable taste.    A rich concoction of warm dark raisin, prune and vanilla spice ont he nose.  The palate has an intensity and power for a medium bodied maturing wine. Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable wine now but it will cellar well and develop for a further 10 years.