1988 Musar Red
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Tasting notes
Beautifully bonkers: leather, aniseed, blackcurrant, earth, spice, cherry, chocolate, rose petals. Incredibly lengthy, very fragrant and developed, and there seems to be a bit of vegetal character on the finish too. The palate is relatively light in body, and there's a touch of metallic flavour, which seems somewhat off-centre but that is the whole point: this is wonderfully unconventional, with loads of esoteric wonder in the glass. A true beauty. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
The 1988 Chateau Musar is a prime time wine, simply put. As we move into modern times (by Musar standards) in the vertical presented this issue, there aren’t even caveats now regarding age. They simply seem fresh and young. That brings a smile to my face. Tightly wound, powerful and focused on opening, this muscular Musar opened with a friendly nod, but quickly became sterner. It took about two hours of air for it to become truly expressive, at which time it was just lovely, beautifully balanced and a pleasure to drink. Laced with notable amounts of brett, this carefully constructed wine comes with that all too typical caveat regarding this house that will leave some drinkers wrinkling their noses and rather unimpressed. It is another wine where the score may not matter as much as the style. If you’re brett tolerant, let me just say it’s often brilliant and nowhere near done evolving. In most respects, it was just a puppy. I’m leaning up a bit for its potential, but it actually drinks quite well now. If it is not quite as exciting as the 1981, it is probably even better balanced. Drink now-2030. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; (415) 931-1725
About the producer
In the 30 years following Serge Hochar’s decoration as Decanter magazine’s "Man of the Year" in 1984, his wine became legendary.