2000 Musar White

The 2000 WHITE is approximately 2/3rds Obaideh and the rest Merwah, indigenous grapes of Lebanon. It was aged for 9 months in French oak, and late released after 5 years. If the red Musars are controversial at times, the whites are even more so. This comes with a recommendation to serve it at room temperature, but at every temperature it is a heavily oxidized wine, amber in color, that seems too old. The most interesting descriptor in the winery’s verbiage was “salty,” and this was indeed salty, but there wasn’t much else to remark upon after the oxidation. It is fairly powerful, but it is hard to drink. Drink now. Musar is one of the Middle East’s iconic wineries, making wines that are rarely “by the numbers” correct, but often distinctive. Over the years, I’ve loved some and disliked others, but I’ve always found them fascinating. Their “flaws” will not make them universally loved, with many being turned off for one reason or another (such as the barnyard and funk that often accompanies them). Those who do like their style and character will be, and have been, enthralled by ageworthy wines coming from an unlikely location. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.