The 2019 Château Musar in particular flourished this year, from flowering to dominating the final structure and taste of the wine, this vintage has a deep scarlet colour and a nose of blackberries, Assam tea, dark chocolate and mulled berries. On the palate there are rich black and red fruits, especially blackcurrants, cherries, damsons and figs with warm cinnamon spice and a hint of mint. This vintage is also characterised by a smoky, earthiness. The tannins are well integrated, with good acidity and a long, dry finish.
The 1998 Chateau Musar is a rather prototypical Musar – lots of acidity, some Brett, fine structure. It reveals a gentler style on opening, but aeration proves how much underlying power it has. There is a good analogy here to the 1994, concerning both how they showed early on and later. There is plenty of power, tannin, and acidity, but there is also some balance. I loved the silky texture, emphasized in this vintage. It finishes with a controlled bang. This greatly benefitted from some air, showing layers but it does seem a bit on the lighter side.
