Musar in the house!

I just got a mixed case of Chateau Musar Rouge, all (appearing to be) in pristine condition-- perfect fills, firm corks, spinning capsules, not much stain along the sides of the cork! These apparently came direct from cold storage in the UK. I am quite chuffed.

4 bottles of the 1999 Musar ($40)
2 bottles of the 2000 Musar ($38)
3 bottles of the 2003 Musar ($34)
3 bottles of the 2005 Musar ($34)

Which should I try first? The only one I've had is the 1999, which is tremendous and drinking well now IMHO.

That`s quite a good buy there Patrick, where in UK did you get them from?

That`s quite a good buy there Patrick, where in UK did you get them from?

I bought them pre-arrival from Flickinger in Chicago, but when I asked about the provenance of the wines before buying, the chap on the phone (he had a strong British accent incidentally) told me they had been in the UK since release with impeccable storage and they would be imported directly into the USA by Flickinger.

I guess this means they're grey market or some such. Based on the appearance of the bottles, the story sounds plausible.

One often hears that Musar is treated badly somewhere en route to the USA, and this causes Musar to show poorly (or at least bretty) in the States, while the European and particularly British bottles are described as much cleaner and fresher.

'03 was rather inexpressive the last time I had it, so forget that in the cellar for years. The '05 is actually pretty wonderful with 12h decanting but it, too, is closing down - try one now and let the rest rest? The '99 as you say is a wonderful vintage for Musar and is strangely drinkable though it should in theory be shut down. '00 is the weakest of the bunch. I haven't had that in a while so don't know how it's drinking now.