A white wine of ideal intensity and complexity for lovers of mature wines.

Château Musar White is made from equal parts of the indigenous Lebanese grape varieties Obeidy (related to Chardonnay) and Merwah (related to Semillon). Traditional farming is practiced here, with low yields and high quality. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 9 months, then marketed 7 years after harvest. Our tastings revealed an elegant Obeidy and a "wild" Merwah, a perfect combination of styles and a true reflection of the terroir. Pale lemon color and nose of apples and fresh hay with hints of vanilla and grapefruit. The nose also reveals notes of orange blossom, which continue on the palate with sweet flavors of basil, peach and tarte tatin that will develop over time. This wine would benefit from decanting and, if cellared well, will keep for decades.

The Château Musar vineyards are located at the southern tip of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. They extend over the villages of Aana and Kefraya on alternating gravel and limestone soils. This diversity of soils and exposures, linked to the valley's relief, produces distinct wines and highly complex blends. Château Musar wines are produced using a non-interventionist approach, and the vineyard was the first in Lebanon to be grown organically in 2006.

In 1930, at just 20 years of age, Gaston Hochar founded Château Musar, inspired by the 6,000-year-old Lebanese winemaking tradition and his travels to Bordeaux. His "noble wines" impressed the senior officers of the French army in the 1920s. Ronald Barton of Bordeaux-based Château Langoa-Barton, stationed in Lebanon during the Second World War, became friends with Gaston Hochar; this relationship further strengthened the ties between Château Musar and Bordeaux that continue to this day. Serge Hochar, his son, began producing wines in the late 1950s. His brother Ronald joined him in the early 1960s. Today, 85% of production is exported. They produce 700,000 bottles a year. Château Musar remains the benchmark for wineries in Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. The longevity and finesse of its wines impress wine lovers the world over.