Chateau Musar is something of a bizarre story. It is probably Lebanon's greatest winery, not that the area is exactly full of producers. Serge Hochar has been making his highly individual wines for several decades now, and they attract quite a following with some of the oldest vintages fetching three figures at auction!
The fact that several vintages were made during the height of the war in the Lebanon would be enough to elevate Serge to hero status. The winery's cellars have been used as air raid shelters and in one year shrapnel had to meticulously picked out of the fruit before it could be crushed! A range of mountains lies between the vineyards and the winery and the grapes must be transported through this rebel infested terrain before any wine can be made. The wines themselves are superb - smoky, spicy and fruity but with an elegant streak that sets them apart from just about any other wine on the planet.
Martinez has been specialising in Musar for many years now, with many older vintages of both red and white available.