Château Musar was established by Gaston Hochar in 1930 and is without doubt Lebanon's top wine estate. The red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. Serge Hochar, who has been involved with the property since 1959, states that the Cabernet Sauvignon provides "the bones and the skeleton to the wine, the Carignan the flesh and muscle and the Cinsault the silky smooth finesse". Musar wines are unique in that Hochar blends the varietals only after they have spent three years in barrels and then waits a further four years before releasing the end result. This gives time for each variety to unfold its own character. The wines are extremely long-lived, with the best examples lasting for 20-30 years.
The Hochar Pere et Fils is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan aged in French oak. For those familiar only with Musar's reputation as a producer of powerful wines likely to age indefinitely and hard to encounter young, this mid-level offering will change perceptions. Very fruity, sweet and velvety on opening, it seemed to be a relatively soft wine with modest concentration and a fleshy and forward feel, something that will appeal easily to modern drinkers with little resistance. This seemed mostly about the sexy fruit on opening. Early on, it finished not only sweet, but even with a little candy. It needed a couple of hours of aeration to show a bit more stuffing, pulling in some of the sweet fruit while displaying a bit of complexity and a bit of steel underneath. At that point, it was far more interesting and impressive. Overall, this still is ultimately a rather sexy beast, even if it manages to maintain a suave and elegant mid-palate. Don't be fooled, by the way: with air, more tannic pop arrives. Drink now-2020. Wine Advocate 88 (2009)
