1977 Gaston Hochar
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Tasting notes
The 1977 Chateau Musar opens in quite a lovely way, leaning far to the charm side of the equation. It is a kinder, gentler vision of Musar. Yet, keep in mind as a context that it is already 35+ years old. With fresh fruit and a sweet tinge on the finish, it is beautifully constructed and well balanced. As with a lot of Musar, there is some bretty nuance, some crispness and some tannin. This is quite charming early on, though, a Musar that is easy to love, with relatively well integrated tannins and fresh, young fruit still. My enthusiasm dimmed a bit when it did not evolve particularly well in the glass, fading slightly with time and becoming dominated merely by crisp, bretty notes. I went from loving this to feeling so-so. Call it a compromise score. It is still pretty nice. Drink now-2020. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; (415) 931-1725
Critic scores
Mark Squires
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
The 1977 Chateau Musar opens in quite a lovely way, leaning far to the charm side of the equation. It is a kinder, gentler vision of Musar. Yet, keep in mind as a context that it is already 35+ years old. With fresh fruit and a sweet tinge on the finish, it is beautifully constructed and well balanced. As with a lot of Musar, there is some bretty nuance, some crispness and some tannin. This is quite charming early on, though, a Musar that is easy to love, with relatively well integrated tannins and fresh, young fruit still. My enthusiasm dimmed a bit when it did not evolve particularly well in the glass, fading slightly with time and becoming dominated merely by crisp, bretty notes. I went from loving this to feeling so-so. Call it a compromise score. It is still pretty nice. Drink now-2020. Jun 2013, www.robertparker.com
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.