2013 Musar Red

Equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. Strong tang on the nose. Damson and leather and cobbler’s glue. Deeply meaty, on the biltong/bresaola/basturma spectrum. Intense, the acidity spiralling through the palate and drawing in a kaleidoscope of flavours: dried tomato, sumac, goji berries, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, rosehips, hibiscus petals, fresh sweet clementines, cobblestone-market dust. Chalk- and chalk-dust-textured tannins slipping into the taste of cold river pebbles under the fruit and spice. Complex, long, a labyrinth of hidden corners and spaces to explore. Decant for a few hours if you have to drink it now, but wait as long as you can. Like 10 years... (TC)

Dense, deep red, still hints of purple at the core and little age on the rim. Marvellously warm Mediterranean fruits on the nose, autumnal in style but youthful in their rich, robust, vigorous presence. The essence of Lebanon in a glass, rich with spice and cooling breezes, the dry, herby fruit flows with energy over the palate before giving way to a finish that confirms the structure, fruit and tannins blending exuberantly with intriguing hints of much more to come in the next decade.