I’m not really into puff pieces, but after reminding myself of just how good Chateau Musar is over the weekend, these words just flowed.

Musar is arguably Lebanon’s greatest vineyard, and their main wine, simply called Musar, is very definitely one of the world’s great wines.

I met Serge Hochar on a couple of occasions in London in the 1990s and always remember him being so unassuming, yet this was a man who was honoured by Decanter Wine Magazine in 1984 for his outstanding contribution to the industry having made world class wine all the way through the civil war there. He told me that in one not so memorable year, he lost nearly half his production to the war, but not only did he keep the business afloat, he got it recognised on the international stage and the rest is history.

The main cuvée is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsult from the Beck Valley and it has a remarkable ability to age, while being generous and smooth in its youth. Since I first tasted it in 1993, a wine by the way that was over 40 years old at the time, my personal wine rack has never been short of one and I’m currently relishing the rather wonderful 2017 vintage. 

Musar also has a trick up its sleeve by the way because in addition to a small range of other reds and rose wines, they also produce an incredible white under the same Musar label which, like its red partner, ages gracefully for decades.

Chateau Musar is available at most decent independent wine merchants from £45 for the red and £38 for the white.