Château Musar

CHÂTEAU MUSAR, AN ICONIC WINE

Of French origin, the Hochar family arrived in Lebanon during the 12th century. Inspired by the 6,000 year old Lebanese wine tradition and his trips in Bordeaux, Gaston Hochar, then aged 20, founded the Château Musar estate in 1939. He set up the winery in the family's 18th century castle in Ghazir.

To this day, this estate has a special relationship with Bordeaux thanks to its noble wines, which appealed to senior army officers after the French mandate in the 1920s. Moreover, Gaston Hochar was a great friend of Major Ronald Barton of Château Langoa-Barton.

In 1959, the founder of the estate handed over to his eldest son Serge Hochar who then spent 18 years improving the winemaking techniques of the château's red wine. In 1984, he was elected "Man of the Year" by Decanter magazine. He earned this title for his dedication to consistently producing quality wines during the civil war in Lebanon from 1975 to 1990. Despite the delays and disruptions caused by the fighting, the harvests continued after the bombings ended.

Even though it could take days, the transport of the grapes to the winery was done avoiding militia checkpoints. Moreover, the vinification could only be carried out when the coastal road was clear, allowing Serge to reach the Château Musar winery.

Following Serge's death, Château Musard is now run by Ronald Hochar, the youngest son of the estate's founder. He is supported by his son Ralph and by Gaston and Marc, his brother's sons.

LEBANESE WINES PRODUCED IN THE BEKAA VALLEY

While war is part of the history of Château Musar, the estate has also drawn heavily on its Lebanese wine heritage. Indeed, for over 6,000 years, vines have grown in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Contributing today to almost 90% of the country's total wine production, this region is a high altitude plateau, about 1,000 metres above the sea. The Bekaa Valley enjoys a remarkable 300 days of sunshine per year with warm summers and snowy winters, cool mountain breezes and temperatures around 25°C. The surrounding mountains protect the plateau from the winds while providing the water necessary for the irrigation of the vines.

The red vines of Château Musar grow at the southern end of the Bekaa Valley. They are planted in gravelly, chalky and stony soils, allowing the production of high quality grapes. This variety of soils gives a distinctive character and complexity to the estate's wines.

The white grape varieties are grown in vineyards at higher altitudes to ensure their freshness. Growing on mountain slopes, the vines are planted at an altitude of about 1,500 metres.

As for the grape varieties, the red wines of Château Musar are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. For the whites wines the estate uses the indigenous Merwah and Obaideh grapes. Other white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Vermentino and Viognier are also grown on the estate's plots.

ORGANIC WINES SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING

At the Château Musar estate, the 220 hectares of vineyards are managed with a minimum of human intervention. The Hochar family has always worked with respect for the environment. In 2006, this winery became the first Lebanese wine producer to receive organic certification. A true precursor of organic viticulture, Château Musar has been meeting the requirements of organic farming since long before the term was invented!

At harvest time, the grapes are picked by hand early in the morning to preserve their freshness. The grapes are then transported in trucks over the mountains to the Ghazir winery.

In vinification, fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts. Château Musar also uses a minimum of sulphur. In addition, no fining nor filtering is used in the production of the estate's red wines.