Producer Profile
Chateau Musar
Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar in 1930, inspired by Lebanon’s 6,000 year winemaking tradition, and his own travels to Bordeaux. He began planting grapes in the Bekaa Valley between two mountain ranges parallel to Lebanon’s Mediterranean coastline. His wines immediately gained recognition. Major Ronald Barton (of Chateau Langoa-Barton and Leoville-Barton) befriended Hochar, marking the beginnings of the relationship between Musar and Bordeaux that still exist today.
In 1959, Gaston’s eldest son Serge, decided to study oenology. With the encouragement of his father, he enrolled at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux. Having declared to his father “I want to make the wine my way, I want it to be known world-wide – and I want you to quit!” he became Chateau Musar’s winemaker in 1959, Gaston senior having graciously given way. He then spent 18 years perfecting the formula for Chateau Musar’s Red and was selected as Decanter Magazine’s first ‘Man of the Year’ in 1984 for his dedication to producing superb quality wines during Lebanon’s Civil War (1975-1990). Serge went on to have two sons, Gaston and Marc, who then took on the responsibility of running of the company. Several generations have been at the helm of Chateau Musar’s operations.
In 1979, wine critic Michael Broadbent discovered Musar at the Bristol Wine Fair, calling it the “find of the fair”. This culminated in Musar opening its UK Company to develop into the British, and eventually the European market. Chateau Musar has continued expanding its sales worldwide, as well as introducing new cuvees, such as the ‘Musar jeune’. Today, their mission is to produce fine wines with a low-interventionist philosophy that allows their wines to express their true living nature, terroir and varietals. The results are highly respected, with followers eager every year to see what his new vintage would bring.
