Comments on: Lebanon Wines and How They Taste. – Episode #115

By: John J.

John J. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:02:20 +0000

Great episode Gary, Lebanon wines! never had one, knew of them, really eager to try them now. Always love when you talk about the lesser known wines/wine areas. Speaking of which, an episode on vin jaune’s would be great. Would love to see you do one on tasting different charbono’s too.

By: Karl Laczko

Karl Laczko — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:22:39 +0000

Finally cracked open my 2004 Kefraya. Light and spicy on the nose, this is a medium bodied red, dark cherry in colour and with elegant legs. It sits delicately on the palate, light but perfectly balanced, mellow tannins at the front of the mouth and top of the tongue and a warming sensation at the back of the throat as it slips down. Flavours include cherry and chocolate with a medium finish. 89-90pts.

By: Grapedigger

Grapedigger — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:09:33 +0000

I love Lebanese wines. The best wine that I had from the ME was a red Lebanese one: CH. Kefraya Comte De M 2000, a rival to the legendary Musar. Cheers.

By: Karl Laczko

Karl Laczko — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 17:02:32 +0000

Just had the 1999 Musar and it was excellent. I got cherries, chocolate and mint and it sounds like it was not too different to the 1997 in that respect (I know Musar don’t try to keep the style the same each vintage). If this where Lebanese wines are then I’m in. I also have the 2004 Kefraya in the cellar, so this review is making me more likely to open that sooner rather than later.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:16:15 +0000

I have had the 1997 Musar and completely agree with your comments. It is not, however, for those who like extracted, Aussie style wines. My favorite Lebanese wine, however, is the 1997 Kefraya Comte de M, which is the flashsip wine from Kefraya. I took a bottle to our usual restaurant, which has a very solid wine list. The sommelier was even impressed with this wine. TRY LEBANESE WINES!

By: Italian Stallion

Italian Stallion — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:49:18 +0000

LOL….I tried to make amends

By: SS Chris

SS Chris — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:29:28 +0000

drwMD…

You wrote in #27, “Did the 2003 Musar get a Vayner-chuckle? Are those listed on Chrisâ€™ spreadsheet?”

Check out the SS….thanks for the input.

By: SS Chris

SS Chris — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 15:54:32 +0000

Gary, I’ve been real busy at work and I’m catching up on my SS responsibilities.

First of all, great episode…funny, informative, entertaining…it had it all. Is there any chance of WL getting more of the $10 bone Les Breteches?

Secondly, don’t worry, I definitely caught you busting my balls…as you were announcing the the “Ask WLTV?” feature, you said:

“Chris’s SS is up here as well, with the Bulletin Board, but more importantly…well…not more importantly than the SS….that is THE most important thing.” And then you kind of winked at me.

I LOOOOOVE it when you bust my stones like that….HYSTERICAL. And….I know I deserve it.

P.S. After I defend your honor w/ Derek re: the Corte Riva, and you allow the “Aussie” to go after me the way he did (#341 on Ep 114) LOL LOL

By: PattyO

PattyO — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:24:20 +0000

And – wondering about the Musar Cuvee white GV poured out into the spit bucket…
Maybe it just needs another 40 years in the cellar. Who knows what “gasoline on the hand, stuck in a bucket of water” could turn into with 40 years to evolve…
Gary – can you put one away and re-taste it for episode #8,000?

By: PattyO

PattyO — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:18:53 +0000

E – (#55) you asked ” Is â€˜97 the current vintage of Musar, and will it get better with time?”
I just listened (thanks to Tim F I think) to the Grape Radio episode from Sept. 11 (ironically – I just thought of that date and that it was an interview with a middle-eastern wine maker) which was an hour-long interview with Serge Musar. You have to listen hard because his accent is thick, but it’s fascinating! It seems that the Lebanese approach to aging wine is WAY different than what we’re used to. First, he says they NEVER even bottle prior to 3 years age. Then, he talks about that they’re just now drinking Musar WHITES that are vintages from the ’50s and ’60s. He says they’re positively unreal. So, while it is hard to even find anything on our market that’s older than about 2001, the ‘97 Musar would appear to be a baby in the Lebanese standard and from what Musar seemed to be saying, would just get finer and finer with even more maturity. If you could find it – I’d think that for $10 it’d be worth putting a half-case in the cellar and find out!