1967 Musar Red

Blend of two local varieties, Merwah and Obeideh. Both varieties are partly fermented in oak barriques where they mature for a further nine months. They are then blended, bottled and aged for a further four years before release. 25% new barriques each year. Deep caramel colour. Dry, full-bodied with marked acidity. Vegetal character, with cooked apple, nuts and hay. (LG)

The 1967 Chateau Musar is a wine that Serge Hochar really likes, I think. I wanted to really love it. I really, really did. I loved its ageworthiness. I (sometimes) liked its fresh, crisp finish. I appreciated the real backbone. I liked many of its sensibilities – in theory. In the long run, though, there are lines to be drawn and this seemed to cross many of them. At times, it seemed quite similar to the 1981, but that wine retained its balance while this one often seemed unbalanced. It is one thing to appreciate acidity. It is another to have the wine become shrill. I will admit it improved – up to a point – as it aired out. It most certainly drank far, far better as a food wine (try it with some cheese). But I suspect most will find that this tart wine – the Carignan dominating – with the combination of brett, acidity and thinning mid-palate is a bit much. So, even as I warmed to this, I just couldn’t love it. The acidity will likely preserve this indefinitely, but cellaring may not have as many rewards as one might hope. Drink now-2025. eRobertParker.com.June, 2013