wine can be LUXURY

So every once-in-awhile everyone needs to treat themselves to something luxurious... I mean truly decadent. Not a chocolate bar, but some Bernard Callebaut. Not a steak, but free-range beef tenderloin. You get the idea.

For myself, I decided to treat myself for finishing my ISG Level 1 with honors. I bought a Chateau Mussar. I won't bore you with the details of how I flew it to Cuba, then home before drinking it...

For those of you who are not familiar with this immense winery, allow yourselves the pleasure. This winery from Lebannon does everything right, including (but not limited to) not releasing their wines until they believe that they are truly showcasing themselves properly... ie: you will never get green or immature wine from these consummate professionals. Ever. These are wines that Sebastian LeGoff (moved on to Singapore) saves as a treat for himself, and am I not supposed to learn from the example of my much more learned colleagues??

WINE A

clear visual;

• liquid amber centre - think gold with a touch of orange
• the lightest pale rim
• moderate legs (a wine of 12.5%)

clean nose; fully intense bouquet

• exotic flowers - I wish I could be more specific, but alas
• wild grasses
• dusty terroir
• something deep, dark and earthy - almost but not quite truffle

clean palate, 0 dryness, moderate++ acid, 0 tannin, moderately intense flavors

• very sherry notes! this tasted for all the world like it was made using a Solera system... my father (a font of information on wine) says this may be due to bottle shock from all the travel
• smelled and tasted of oak, but it didn't seem like French or American > puzzling
• apple flavors throughout the palate, most especially Golden Delicious apples

moderate body, moderate alcohol, exquisite structure

"It's the white wine that drinks like a red" said Sebastian. And he was right! It was the craziest thing, sipping on this wine and closing my eyes - almost drinking it like a Chianti (with the sherry notes of course). A really intriguing wine that demands alot of it's drinker. My beautiful wife said that it wasn't her favorite white - but she's more into the Gewurtz, Viogner, etc... for me, I love Muscadet, Alvarino, Alsatian Pinot Gris.... I frikin loved this wine. Decant it for a minimum of an hour - 2 is even better. And if it's travelled any length of time - please allow it to rest before serving.

I will make more notes on this later, when I have another reason to truly celebrate and treat myself!

1999 Chateau Mussar (white) Bekkaa Valley (Lebannon) by the Hochar family

**treat yourself one day - this wine is worth much more money than they charge!