On a sunny day, the owner was in a good mood and rewarded us with a bottle of privately hidden dry white for us to taste together when we tried the wine. Take a look, yo, isn't this the famous Musha?
As the world's largest continent, Asia seems to have little presence on the wine map. Chateau musar can produce the best wines in Lebanon after years of war, which is definitely the "pride of the Asian people". I have always heard that his family's wine style is unique, and it is not easy to see the real appearance! So without saying a word, I immediately opened it.
Hey? What's going on with this peculiar style?
How can a bottle of dry white have such a heavy wood barrel, nuts, and cream aromas?
I can't smell any fruit anymore, so I can't drink it anymore, right?
It is also said that it is the "Rafi" in Lebanon, and it seems that his family only has dry red worthy of this name.
Yes, along with the 1956 Rafi and the 1947 White Horse, which were included in the book "The World's 100 Most Precious Wines", it is indeed the dry red of Musha in 1954. And the one who was selected to be included in the monthly legendary wine of "Decanter" is also the dry red of Musha.
However, the gap in the dry white quality of Musha Winery is so large, so unpopular? Now that we've said that, let's do a good job
01
What is the relationship between dry white and aging?
Is fresh dry white better?
Veteran wine lovers must know that in the aroma type of wine, floral and fruit aromas are more easily accepted by the public. When learning professional wine knowledge, it is also generally believed that if the fresh flower and fruit aromas in a wine completely disappear, it can be considered that it is no longer graceful and nearly twilight.
Most white grapes, with the exception of aromatic white grape varieties, do not have the same aroma as red grape varieties, so their fresh floral and fruit aromas are more easily dissipated during the vinification and aging process. The dry white mains on the market are mainly fresh and pleasant, light and delicate style. Therefore, if you prefer this kind of small and clean new dry white, it is better to drink it when it is fresh.
Is dry white not suitable for aging?
Note, I said that Xiaoqing new dry white to drink fresh, but did not say that all dry white is so Oh ~ ~ ~
In order to brew the new dry white that the public loves, most wineries choose to shorten the maceration time or peel the fermentation. Without the dry white supported by grape skins or tannins in the stem, its aging potential is naturally not as good as dry red, but this does not mean that it cannot be aged! In the case of Burgundy, the dry red of the grand garden can withstand 20-30 years of aging, and the dry white of the special grade garden, although it is not as dry as the dry red, can still be put for 10 years. If you have to drink a bottle of young Burgundy, everyone will be shouting "Tyrannical Creatures."
Is the oxidized style dry white delicious?
If you ask this, you may offend a large number of drinkers!
Nowadays, the trend of retro "orange wine" is deliberately mashed grapes, increased maceration time and dried white with skin fermentation. The flavor of orange wine is quite strong, rich and layered, very special. Want to know what is the "orange wine" that is talking about in the circle?
At this point, we have to go back to today's protagonist, Musa Winery. Just like durian, loved people love to die, and nasty people don't want to touch it. Although the radish cabbage has its own love, among the many small freshnesses, it is necessary to deliberately make an oxidation style wine, and the style of Musha is really unusual.
I am also curious, what is such a unique style of winery?
02
Why has Château Musa become an "Asian Legend"?
In the 12th century, the hochar family arrived in Lebanon from France on a crusade. Since then, it has taken root in this ancient country with more than 6,000 years of winemaking history. In 1930, at the age of 20, Gaston Hochar founded chateau musar, inspired by Lebanon's long winemaking culture and travels to Bordeaux.
With more than 6,000 years of cultural heritage, it doesn't change easily
Older people are always unusually stubborn and not easily influenced by the outside world. Although musa was not established for a long time, it inherited the ancient stubbornness. Neither World War II (1939-1945) nor the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) stopped it from making wine.
During World War II, château Musha's "aristocratic" wines conquered the hearts of French Army Major General Ronald Barton, who was from chateau langoa barton and thus became friends with its founder, Gaston Hochar. This long historical origin has had a profound impact on Château Musa.
Serge Hochar
The second owner, Serge Hochar, is arguably the soul of Musa. After taking over the winery in 1959, he devoted 18 years to improving the winery's blending technology. Impressed by his commitment to winemaking, Sage was named a "man of the year" by Alcohol in 1984.
He once mentioned in an interview an experience during the Civil War: one night there was an air raid and Someone warned Sage that he must leave the winery. But the stubborn Sage did not heed the advice of the well-wishers and resolutely stayed. That night, every time he heard a bombing, Sage drank a 72-year-old mussan dry red. When the air raid was over, he went out to see that the wine cellar was gone, the neighbors were gone, and only his room was safe. Sage was convinced that wine had blessed him, and that his fate with wine was his destiny.
Deeply influenced by Bordeaux, how did the oxidation style of Muses come about?
The stubbornness of Musha Winery is not only reflected in the fact that it is necessary to continue to make wine despite all difficulties, but also in its willingness to spend a lot of time on cellaring. In an environment with a general preference for fresh and fruity tastes, Musa has always been obstinate, preferring to spend more than 7 years making oxidized wines.
Musa Winery has its own set of brewing methods. They sample liquors from different vineyards, learn about their personalities and characteristics, and blend them based on the winemaker's intuition about the wine. And this blend is the essence of the Musha style.
Their dry whites are aged in nevers oak barrels in France for 6-7 months, mixed and bottled before being cellared for more than 6 years before being placed on the market. As a result, Château Musa is often mistaken for "old grave white" that has been aged in the cellar for many years, with more nuts, cream, almonds, vanilla and other oxidation and barrel flavors.
Of course, so does their dry red. Different liquors are fermented in separate cement tanks for 6 months, then aged in oak barrels for 12 months, mixed in cement tanks for another 12 months, and bottled at the end of the 3rd year after harvest, but the dry red after bottling will not be available until 3-4 years of cellaring.
At the end of the article, I must first admit that everyone has their own unique tastes, and dislikes can definitely be spoken out loud. However, don't easily dismiss a unique style of wine. Give it a chance, try it a few times, and maybe you'll hold it and say, "It's fragrant!"