WTN: Chateau Musar (Red) 2001

IIRC the 95 was the particularly volatile vintage that broke some legal limits, and had to have special permission to be sold in the EU. Since that vintage (which I think was 95, but it was certainly around then) the chateau has been taking care to actively control the VA level by limiting ambient temperature pre fermentation maceration times.

Interesting, and explains a lot.

Significant VA development during pre-fermentation maceration? That's some serious microbiological activity!

Yes, I am unsure about some details but it was pre-fermentation. It may also have been to do with the total time between picking in the Bekaa Valley and fermentation starting (including the truck journey to just outside Beirut) - I can't remember precisely what they said about that. Are you saying it sounds unlikely to you?

Significant VA development during pre-fermentation maceration? That's some serious microbiological activity!

Yes, I am unsure about some details but it was pre-fermentation. It may also have been to do with the total time between picking in the Bekaa Valley and fermentation starting (including the truck journey to just outside Beirut) - I can't remember precisely what they said about that. Are you saying it sounds unlikely to you?

It's definitely possible, but development of VA to that degree before fermentation has even commenced suggests some serious microbial issues pre-crush. Most winemakers (even the more funk- and "natural"-inclined) tend to consider uncontrolled pre-fermentation maceration unwise. But perhaps we don't have the full details, or it's complicated by conditions specific to Lebanon.