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Wine Advocate (96)
With this wine, we return to a mineral profile that is not unlike the Granite Chenin Blanc. However, the Mullineux 2023 Swartland Schist Chenin Blanc is slightly more ample and layered in terms of mouthfeel. Water does not penetrate as deeply on schist soils as it does granite, and the fruit is a little richer and more concentrated as a result. Water tends to run off easily, and the plant root systems remain shallow and produce smaller clusters, a less vigorous canopy and berries with thick skins (with more sunlight reaching the clusters through the leaves). This wine starts off with an incredibly citrusy feel, and yet it also delivers cool-climate Chenin Blanc aromas of green apple and honeysuckle. This wine is built to last, and it's no wonder it was served last in our tasting of the three single-vineyard Chenin Blancs. I would bet on the longest drinking window for this bottle. Those complex fruit flavors still need to flesh out.Inc. TAX€522.23 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (97)
The 2015 Syrah Schist has a wonderful, nuanced, complex bouquet that I would happily place in any lineup of top Syrahs from the Rhône. So nuanced, so mineral and delineated, this just blossoms in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine tannins, judiciously spiced with white pepper and sage. Highly complex, terroir-driven and delicious, this is a Syrah that delivers on all fronts at 10 years of age. It easily surpasses the bottle drunk just after bottling. World. Class. Syrah. Tasted blind at the 10-Year-On horizontal in London.Inc. TAX€189.08 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
The Schist Syrah is sourced from the extensive Roundstone property and, like its stablemates Granite and Iron, is fermented with whole bunches and aged in one third-new oak. Rich, savoury and concentrated, but with considerable underlying finesse, rose petal notes and refreshing, palate-cleansing acidity. 2021-30Inc. TAX€572.39 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
My pick of the three top Mullineux Syrahs in 2018, this world-class red is the most perfumed and alluring of the trio right now. Combining fruit from the Kasteelberg and Roundstone, this has violet and lavender aromas, some sap and grip from 100% whole bunches, incredible focus and grip and a plush, seductive mid palate.Inc. TAX€555.12 -
(12x75cl) 2019Greg Sherwood MW (97)
The vines for the 2019 Schist Syrah were planted in 1999 on the Roundstone farm and originally used for the Mullineux estate Syrah, with the top 10 rows of the same block historically going into Eben Sadie’s famed Columella red blend. While there is irrigation available, the vineyard is now fully dry farmed. I always talk about this wine as being the consumers’ ‘darling wine’ in the single terroir range with seductive, alluring aromatics of pomegranate, blood orange, red currant, Earl Grey tea and crushed slate minerality nuances. Always supremely elegant and approachable, the 2019 shows a truly magical balance of concentrated, textural red and black fruit intensity together with sleek fresh acids and incredibly tight knit, polished, fine-grained tannins. This is an unbelievably complete wine that slowly but surely seduces you sip by sip. Tasted over two days, my impressions of this wine simply grew ever larger the longer the bottle was open. The novice fine wine drinker will love the Schist 2019 (as usual) while the discerning collector will perhaps acquire a new appreciation for this icon Swartland Syrah. (2,700 bottles produced. The only wine bottled every year since 2010.)Inc. TAX€1,031.29 -
(12x75cl) 2021
Tim Atkin MW (97)
This dryland vineyard on the Mullineux' Roundstone property is one of the world's great Syrah sites, yielding tiny bunches of concentrated grapes. Intensely perfumed and alluring, the resulting wine has notes of lavender and wild thyme, fine, granular tannins and layers of red berries, liquorice and sweet kitchen spices.Inc. TAX€1,456.09 -
(1x75cl) 2021Tim Atkin MW (97)
This dryland vineyard on the Mullineux' Roundstone property is one of the world's great Syrah sites, yielding tiny bunches of concentrated grapes. Intensely perfumed and alluring, the resulting wine has notes of lavender and wild thyme, fine, granular tannins and layers of red berries, liquorice and sweet kitchen spices.Inc. TAX€148.28 -
(12x75cl) 2022Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.Inc. TAX€1,456.09 -
(1x75cl) 2022Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.Inc. TAX€148.44 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.Inc. TAX€722.63 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Invariably the most perfumed of Chris and Andrea Mullineux's three site-focused Syrahs, this tastes like a wine that was influenced by the Domaine Jamet's Côte Rôties, all pepper, rose petal and fennel on the nose, graceful, bejewelled tannins, subtle wood and a core of wild strawberry and tobacco leaf. The best of the winery’s soil-specific reds.Inc. TAX€647.03 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
The Mullineux use two vineyards to make this world-class straw wine, which "have botrytis and lots of malic acid". Dried on shade cloth, rather than straw, it's incredibly sweet at 305 grams of sugar, with exotic nectarine and guava flavours, hints of toast and coconut, a volatile lift and wonderful freshness and length.Inc. TAX€133.42 -
Tim Atkin MW (93)
One of my "go to" wines when I see it on a restaurant wine list, this intensely perfumed Syrah comes from seven vineyards, mostly on schist soils. Made with 90% whole bunches, it has more tannin than you think at first, layers of spice, violet and blackberry fruit and a refreshing tang.Inc. TAX€183.59 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The Mullineux 2022 Swartland Syrah comes from a site with quartz formations over schist soils. Quartz tends to erode at a different pace, leaving quartz stones on the surface that reflect light but do not reflect heat. This leads to optimal ripening, with soft cherry and blackberry flavors followed by lightly toasted spice. There is a ferrous note to the wine followed by fine, satiny tannins that have a certain lusciousness about them. The wine sees 80% whole-cluster fruit and is fermented in upright wooden vats. Andrea Mullineux says she is looking for the silky tannins that are specific to the Swartland. "Those tannins are a real fingerprint of the region," she says.Inc. TAX€521.47 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 1981 Chateau Musar is simply wonderful, a prime time wine aging brilliantly. Beautifully structured, this has silky texture, a crisp finish and good balance, notwithstanding the serious power lurking on the finish. It seems fresh, vibrant and youthful, a great food wine, not particularly fleshy, fruity or sweet, but quite lively. It was tasted twice from different bottles (with and without Hochar) and it was fascinating each time. As with many Musars, the score matters less than the style. There are certainly things going on here that will draw divided opinions. By many modern standards, the acidity level is perceptibly high. There is a bretty aspect that will certainly turn off others. Yet, this preens in its power, its complexity and its invigorating freshness. I rather loved it and it seemed quite brilliant. Drink now-2030.Inc. TAX€1,396.92 -
Wine Advocate (85)
The 1995 Chateau Musar represents an extreme in terms of Musar’s love-it-or-hate-it vintages. This should be far more controversial than wines such as the 1981 or 1967. Even while Serge Hochar called it “a great vintage,” he acknowledged its unusual properties. It was a relatively late harvest, for one thing. Its commercial release was delayed to the point where the 1996 was put out first. The first nuance on this was unusual sweetness. The second was obvious volatile acidity. (Indeed an earlier bottle tasted was far stronger in that regard and smelled largely of turpentine. The score is based only on the sounder bottle.) The structure here is undeniably fine, to be sure. It is powerful, fresh, young and pointed, with a surprisingly graceful feel at times. I couldn’t get past its eccentricities, though. It is a notably flawed wine that is over the line. To be sure, it does enough well – sometimes beautifully – that I can say I’d still drink it and it can’t be ignored. It will surely work better with food, too. As with most all of the wines here, this has the structure to preserve it a good long while, but whether you really want to cellar this a long time may be another story. Drink now.Inc. TAX€229.15 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Pale, particularly bright garnet. Light, spicy, particularly well-integrated nose. Already well developed. Sweet start and very nicely mature. Seems just right now. The opposite of heavy. Lifted, jewel-bright. Really lovely wine. Fresh, sweet with some very slight mintiness. Dry finish and it would go beautifully with food. Very long. One of my favourite wines in this collection. Is it the Cinsault I like so much?Inc. TAX€584.88 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
‘An exceptional year’, with a dry winter, fresh spring, good flowering. Mild summer with a cloudy July and August, and a hot, sunny September. Bright garnet. Pale rim. Broad and rich with a minty note. More mainstream than many in terms of its build and flavours. Still evolving but beautifully balanced. Lots of energy and transparency. No heaviness at all. Rich but lifted. Already gorgeous but there are tannins behind the exotic fruit and brilliant freshness. Still quite youthful.Inc. TAX€869.03 -
Wine Enthusiast (91)
Exceptional concentration, structure and balance mark this 11-year old blend of Cab, Cinsault and Carignan that's ripe with cassis and plums and a plume of smoke, earth and barnyard funk. Tannins subdued into a powdery softness, it's elegantly textured yet full and forward with a rich, layered complexity.Inc. TAX€1,186.08 -
Wine Advocate (91)
The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar. The complicated aging process is best described by the winery: “The wines spent nine months in cement vats and then a year in French Nevers oak barrels and the final blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan rested for another nine months in vats before being bottled?“ The winery describes this as a once-in-a-decade vintage where a heat wave caused notable increases in sugar content in a short time. I sometimes find that is a dangerous description of vineyard conditions with many risks for a winery, but it seems to have turned out well. If you’re comparing, it adds two layers of depth to the 2007 Hochar, although it is quite elegant and graceful in its own right. Most importantly, it has more of an obvious backbone even though it is late-released. Its balance, combining the nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is delicious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremarkable, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will certainly do better with food. Drink now-2021.Inc. TAX€875.58 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Mid garnet. Pale rim. Paler than the 2006. Light, tea-leaf nose. Sweet start. Dry and powdery finish. Very unformed. I could easily enjoy this with Greek/Lebanese mezze – in fact these flavours strongly remind me of dolmades – but ideally with all these fine tannins I would continue to cellar this vintage. Quite long.Inc. TAX€1,040.78 -
(1x75cl) 2013Vinous (93)
The 2013 Chateau Musar is bold, punchy and intensely perfumed. Rose petal, ripe red fruit, sage, mint, cinnamon and sweet tobacco give the 2013 a very strong aromatic presence that continues to build. Medium in body, with lovely red fruit character, the 2013 Musar could use a few years in bottle to fully come together. I expect it will always have a strong pungent signature.Inc. TAX€110.00 -
Inc. TAX€668.63 -
(1x75cl) 2015Inc. TAX€177.24
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Inc. TAX€468.23 -
Falstaff (93)
Medium carmine, garnet reflections, broad ochre rim. Smoky, spicy, red berry fruit, orange zest, a hint of nougat and liquorice, a hint of fig, cinnamon and cedar wood. Taut, tightly knit, red cherry, lively acidity, mineral and lemon on the finish, appears light-footed, animating, cool style, still very youthful and underdeveloped.Inc. TAX€428.63 -
Decanter (91)
This single-vineyard wine, from Aana, is made in a modern style: concentrated and slightly reductive. It shows notes of new oak barrels, lovely red berry fruit (reminiscent of Grenache) and garrigue aromas. So Mediterranean on the palate, with sweet tannins, spices and a meaty hint on the aftertaste. A very friendly, easy-to-drink and enjoyable wine. It becomes even better and more refined a day after the bottle is opened. I would recommend decanting it.Inc. TAX€302.63 -
(3x150cl) 2018Vinous (91)
The 2018 Château Musar opens with candied red fruits, white mushrooms, leather and spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, moderately concentrated and round, the 2018 is a delightful Musar. A touch of heat emerges on the savoury finale.Inc. TAX€381.78 -
Vinous (91)
The 2018 Château Musar opens with candied red fruits, white mushrooms, leather and spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, moderately concentrated and round, the 2018 is a delightful Musar. A touch of heat emerges on the savoury finale.Inc. TAX€311.03 -
Inc. TAX€1,413.36
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Wine Advocate (96)
With this wine, we return to a mineral profile that is not unlike the Granite Chenin Blanc. However, the Mullineux 2023 Swartland Schist Chenin Blanc is slightly more ample and layered in terms of mouthfeel. Water does not penetrate as deeply on schist soils as it does granite, and the fruit is a little richer and more concentrated as a result. Water tends to run off easily, and the plant root systems remain shallow and produce smaller clusters, a less vigorous canopy and berries with thick skins (with more sunlight reaching the clusters through the leaves). This wine starts off with an incredibly citrusy feel, and yet it also delivers cool-climate Chenin Blanc aromas of green apple and honeysuckle. This wine is built to last, and it's no wonder it was served last in our tasting of the three single-vineyard Chenin Blancs. I would bet on the longest drinking window for this bottle. Those complex fruit flavors still need to flesh out.In Bond€413.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (97)
The 2015 Syrah Schist has a wonderful, nuanced, complex bouquet that I would happily place in any lineup of top Syrahs from the Rhône. So nuanced, so mineral and delineated, this just blossoms in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine tannins, judiciously spiced with white pepper and sage. Highly complex, terroir-driven and delicious, this is a Syrah that delivers on all fronts at 10 years of age. It easily surpasses the bottle drunk just after bottling. World. Class. Syrah. Tasted blind at the 10-Year-On horizontal in London.In Bond€154.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
The Schist Syrah is sourced from the extensive Roundstone property and, like its stablemates Granite and Iron, is fermented with whole bunches and aged in one third-new oak. Rich, savoury and concentrated, but with considerable underlying finesse, rose petal notes and refreshing, palate-cleansing acidity. 2021-30In Bond€454.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
My pick of the three top Mullineux Syrahs in 2018, this world-class red is the most perfumed and alluring of the trio right now. Combining fruit from the Kasteelberg and Roundstone, this has violet and lavender aromas, some sap and grip from 100% whole bunches, incredible focus and grip and a plush, seductive mid palate.In Bond€442.00 -
(12x75cl) 2019
Greg Sherwood MW (97)
The vines for the 2019 Schist Syrah were planted in 1999 on the Roundstone farm and originally used for the Mullineux estate Syrah, with the top 10 rows of the same block historically going into Eben Sadie’s famed Columella red blend. While there is irrigation available, the vineyard is now fully dry farmed. I always talk about this wine as being the consumers’ ‘darling wine’ in the single terroir range with seductive, alluring aromatics of pomegranate, blood orange, red currant, Earl Grey tea and crushed slate minerality nuances. Always supremely elegant and approachable, the 2019 shows a truly magical balance of concentrated, textural red and black fruit intensity together with sleek fresh acids and incredibly tight knit, polished, fine-grained tannins. This is an unbelievably complete wine that slowly but surely seduces you sip by sip. Tasted over two days, my impressions of this wine simply grew ever larger the longer the bottle was open. The novice fine wine drinker will love the Schist 2019 (as usual) while the discerning collector will perhaps acquire a new appreciation for this icon Swartland Syrah. (2,700 bottles produced. The only wine bottled every year since 2010.)In Bond€821.00 -
(12x75cl) 2021
Tim Atkin MW (97)
This dryland vineyard on the Mullineux' Roundstone property is one of the world's great Syrah sites, yielding tiny bunches of concentrated grapes. Intensely perfumed and alluring, the resulting wine has notes of lavender and wild thyme, fine, granular tannins and layers of red berries, liquorice and sweet kitchen spices.In Bond€1,175.00 -
(1x75cl) 2021
Tim Atkin MW (97)
This dryland vineyard on the Mullineux' Roundstone property is one of the world's great Syrah sites, yielding tiny bunches of concentrated grapes. Intensely perfumed and alluring, the resulting wine has notes of lavender and wild thyme, fine, granular tannins and layers of red berries, liquorice and sweet kitchen spices.In Bond€120.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.In Bond€1,175.00 -
(1x75cl) 2022
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.In Bond€120.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Generally my favourite of the three soil-specific Syrahs, this comes from a 2.3-hectare site that was planted in 1998. Showing the perfume and texture of a great Côte Rôtie, it has fynbos, thyme and tapenade aromas, lots of energy and focus, stylish 50% new oak, granular tannins and wafts of violet and rose petal. Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their wonderful best.In Bond€580.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Invariably the most perfumed of Chris and Andrea Mullineux's three site-focused Syrahs, this tastes like a wine that was influenced by the Domaine Jamet's Côte Rôties, all pepper, rose petal and fennel on the nose, graceful, bejewelled tannins, subtle wood and a core of wild strawberry and tobacco leaf. The best of the winery’s soil-specific reds.In Bond€517.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
The Mullineux use two vineyards to make this world-class straw wine, which "have botrytis and lots of malic acid". Dried on shade cloth, rather than straw, it's incredibly sweet at 305 grams of sugar, with exotic nectarine and guava flavours, hints of toast and coconut, a volatile lift and wonderful freshness and length.In Bond€110.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (93)
One of my "go to" wines when I see it on a restaurant wine list, this intensely perfumed Syrah comes from seven vineyards, mostly on schist soils. Made with 90% whole bunches, it has more tannin than you think at first, layers of spice, violet and blackberry fruit and a refreshing tang.In Bond€130.00 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The Mullineux 2022 Swartland Syrah comes from a site with quartz formations over schist soils. Quartz tends to erode at a different pace, leaving quartz stones on the surface that reflect light but do not reflect heat. This leads to optimal ripening, with soft cherry and blackberry flavors followed by lightly toasted spice. There is a ferrous note to the wine followed by fine, satiny tannins that have a certain lusciousness about them. The wine sees 80% whole-cluster fruit and is fermented in upright wooden vats. Andrea Mullineux says she is looking for the silky tannins that are specific to the Swartland. "Those tannins are a real fingerprint of the region," she says.In Bond€387.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
The 1981 Chateau Musar is simply wonderful, a prime time wine aging brilliantly. Beautifully structured, this has silky texture, a crisp finish and good balance, notwithstanding the serious power lurking on the finish. It seems fresh, vibrant and youthful, a great food wine, not particularly fleshy, fruity or sweet, but quite lively. It was tasted twice from different bottles (with and without Hochar) and it was fascinating each time. As with many Musars, the score matters less than the style. There are certainly things going on here that will draw divided opinions. By many modern standards, the acidity level is perceptibly high. There is a bretty aspect that will certainly turn off others. Yet, this preens in its power, its complexity and its invigorating freshness. I rather loved it and it seemed quite brilliant. Drink now-2030.In Bond€1,145.00 -
Wine Advocate (85)
The 1995 Chateau Musar represents an extreme in terms of Musar’s love-it-or-hate-it vintages. This should be far more controversial than wines such as the 1981 or 1967. Even while Serge Hochar called it “a great vintage,” he acknowledged its unusual properties. It was a relatively late harvest, for one thing. Its commercial release was delayed to the point where the 1996 was put out first. The first nuance on this was unusual sweetness. The second was obvious volatile acidity. (Indeed an earlier bottle tasted was far stronger in that regard and smelled largely of turpentine. The score is based only on the sounder bottle.) The structure here is undeniably fine, to be sure. It is powerful, fresh, young and pointed, with a surprisingly graceful feel at times. I couldn’t get past its eccentricities, though. It is a notably flawed wine that is over the line. To be sure, it does enough well – sometimes beautifully – that I can say I’d still drink it and it can’t be ignored. It will surely work better with food, too. As with most all of the wines here, this has the structure to preserve it a good long while, but whether you really want to cellar this a long time may be another story. Drink now.In Bond€187.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Pale, particularly bright garnet. Light, spicy, particularly well-integrated nose. Already well developed. Sweet start and very nicely mature. Seems just right now. The opposite of heavy. Lifted, jewel-bright. Really lovely wine. Fresh, sweet with some very slight mintiness. Dry finish and it would go beautifully with food. Very long. One of my favourite wines in this collection. Is it the Cinsault I like so much?In Bond€466.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
‘An exceptional year’, with a dry winter, fresh spring, good flowering. Mild summer with a cloudy July and August, and a hot, sunny September. Bright garnet. Pale rim. Broad and rich with a minty note. More mainstream than many in terms of its build and flavours. Still evolving but beautifully balanced. Lots of energy and transparency. No heaviness at all. Rich but lifted. Already gorgeous but there are tannins behind the exotic fruit and brilliant freshness. Still quite youthful.In Bond€702.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (91)
Exceptional concentration, structure and balance mark this 11-year old blend of Cab, Cinsault and Carignan that's ripe with cassis and plums and a plume of smoke, earth and barnyard funk. Tannins subdued into a powdery softness, it's elegantly textured yet full and forward with a rich, layered complexity.In Bond€967.00 -
Wine Advocate (91)
The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar. The complicated aging process is best described by the winery: “The wines spent nine months in cement vats and then a year in French Nevers oak barrels and the final blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan rested for another nine months in vats before being bottled?“ The winery describes this as a once-in-a-decade vintage where a heat wave caused notable increases in sugar content in a short time. I sometimes find that is a dangerous description of vineyard conditions with many risks for a winery, but it seems to have turned out well. If you’re comparing, it adds two layers of depth to the 2007 Hochar, although it is quite elegant and graceful in its own right. Most importantly, it has more of an obvious backbone even though it is late-released. Its balance, combining the nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is delicious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremarkable, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will certainly do better with food. Drink now-2021.In Bond€711.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Mid garnet. Pale rim. Paler than the 2006. Light, tea-leaf nose. Sweet start. Dry and powdery finish. Very unformed. I could easily enjoy this with Greek/Lebanese mezze – in fact these flavours strongly remind me of dolmades – but ideally with all these fine tannins I would continue to cellar this vintage. Quite long.In Bond€845.00 -
(1x75cl) 2013
Vinous (93)
The 2013 Chateau Musar is bold, punchy and intensely perfumed. Rose petal, ripe red fruit, sage, mint, cinnamon and sweet tobacco give the 2013 a very strong aromatic presence that continues to build. Medium in body, with lovely red fruit character, the 2013 Musar could use a few years in bottle to fully come together. I expect it will always have a strong pungent signature.In Bond€88.00 -
In Bond€535.00
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(1x75cl) 2015In Bond€144.00
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In Bond€368.00
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Falstaff (93)
Medium carmine, garnet reflections, broad ochre rim. Smoky, spicy, red berry fruit, orange zest, a hint of nougat and liquorice, a hint of fig, cinnamon and cedar wood. Taut, tightly knit, red cherry, lively acidity, mineral and lemon on the finish, appears light-footed, animating, cool style, still very youthful and underdeveloped.In Bond€335.00 -
Decanter (91)
This single-vineyard wine, from Aana, is made in a modern style: concentrated and slightly reductive. It shows notes of new oak barrels, lovely red berry fruit (reminiscent of Grenache) and garrigue aromas. So Mediterranean on the palate, with sweet tannins, spices and a meaty hint on the aftertaste. A very friendly, easy-to-drink and enjoyable wine. It becomes even better and more refined a day after the bottle is opened. I would recommend decanting it.In Bond€230.00 -
(3x150cl) 2018
Vinous (91)
The 2018 Château Musar opens with candied red fruits, white mushrooms, leather and spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, moderately concentrated and round, the 2018 is a delightful Musar. A touch of heat emerges on the savoury finale.In Bond€296.00 -
Vinous (91)
The 2018 Château Musar opens with candied red fruits, white mushrooms, leather and spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, moderately concentrated and round, the 2018 is a delightful Musar. A touch of heat emerges on the savoury finale.In Bond€237.00 -
In Bond€1,135.00
One of the best things about wine is its limitless nature.
Even professionals with 30 years under their belt come across new regions and new varietals all the time – it is the passion/hobby/profession that just keeps on giving. If you have not yet experienced the profound Gruners or Rieslings from Austria, the sweet nectar that is Tokaji from Hungary, the precise and terroir driven German Rieslings with unrivalled drinkability, the wild and sometimes bloody reds of Portugal, or any other of the beauties found off the beaten track, you are in for a treat. For wine can transport you to another place and time just by popping the cork, and there is a whole world full to discover.
