The Wine Source, a great store tucked away in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore is doing some really great work. One of the best things they are doing is free tastings with winemakers. As our dear friend Otto has made Chateau Musar a near icon on this forum, I felt that I owed it to myself to drag my wife through the hell that is DC rush hour traffic up the Parkway to Charm City to see what all the fuss was about.
The traffic did not disappoint us. A 37 mile trip took 65 minutes. This was a good day. The directions from Google only got us lost in Baltimore once and I am proud to say my wife is not contemplating filing for divorce as is the usual outcome of our overly long road trips, especially when I am impatient to get to the wines.
Our patience was rewarded by the perfect parking spot and a relatively quiet store. Ralph Hochar from the Chateau greeted us from behind the table and started us off with the 2004 Musar Cuvee Rose. This stuffed rocked! Literally! The slate on this was great, and the fruit went on for ever. This was a big, big rose. The sheet I was reading said it was "produced from a saignee of red grape varieties, primarily cinsault." A bottle went in the cart at $16.79, regularly $20.99 and I would have paid that! It was good stuff.
We were then poured the 2004 Musar Cuvee Blanc made out of the local white grape Obeideh. I loved the floral and petrol combination this wine brought to the table. At the same $16.79, my wife couldn't bring herself to purchase it. She always wins these battles.
The next wine was the 2003 Musar Cuvee Rouge. This wine was slightly chilled and much the better for it. In many ways it was very fruity. There were strawberries and rasberries and cranberries singing in this wine. In the background there was the nice minerality that make the Musar wine so memorable. This wine was regularly $19.99, but was on sale for $14.99. A bottle is in the cellar. The cranberries really make me think this one will work for Thanksgiving. The fruitiness tells me that the relatives will like this better than the zins and merlots often poured out on the holiday. Just a side thought.
The wines just kept getting better and rockier. Mr. Hochar next poued the 2001 Musar Hochar a blend of cab. sav., carignan, cinsault, and a pinch of grenache. This was fuller and more complex than the cuvee. There were dark fruits and berries to be sure, but there was that great minerality and acidity that balanced out the fruit perfectly. This is a wine that is drinking nicely right now, but has the stuffing to go a decade or more. It regularly sold for $24.99, but was on sale for $19.99. I would buy it at either price. A bottle is now sleeping in the cellar.
The final wine of the night was the 1998 Chateau Musar Rouge. This had been decanted for two hours according to Mr. Hochar. It was singing a beautiful song. I think I am beginning to understand where Otto is coming from when he says "Musar rocks!" This wine certainly did, although it was perfectly balanced by the wonderful red fruit and the earthy undertones. This wine regularly sold for $47.99 and they were giving it a $10 discount. Unfortunately the budget can only soak up so much wine. This one will have to wait until Otto gets it for me.
We purchased some great bread and olive oil and we were on our way home. Thanks go to Otto for getting me up to this tasting. It was outstanding. or those of you in the DC Baltimore area, check out this place. They are doing good things.[/b]
