Awesome jeeb with Joel Stewart in Seattle

[Saina Nieminen]

2001 Musar Blanc - I have less than 10 btls worth of experience with MB's, but this is by far the ripest I've ever had. Normally it takes a couple of days open to coax just a hint of fruit out of the wine, so this was an anomaly to me (Otto?)....nearly showing like an off-dry, funky Alsatian pg at times, even, but with the recognizable litany of Musar blanc shape shifting idiosyncracies. I think the rs was a bit much for many, but I enjoyed the ride on the palate that extended far beyond the initial fruit notes. Much larger body than the 12.5% suggests, deeper, savory notes in the middle and strikingly long. It was still kicking and developing when I had the last glass on day 6.

The 2001 was a hot year - but so was every year between 1997 and 2001 and I still found e.g. the '98 white to be its usual reticent self initially. I don't know why then it was so enjoyable early on (afaIk, there have been no changes to the way it is made). What I do disagree with is that you felt there was RS in it. I didn't notice anything like that; just Musar's usual richness.

 

[Joel Stewart]

Wish you could have tasted from both recent bottles I opened, Otto. People's mileage often varies, but these were comparatively speaking, quite sweet to me, with a lot of ripe fruit up front, as well as being fairly viscous..and they gained in sweetness/ripeness over time (the last bottle had been open for 3 days). The "reticence" you mention has been the norm for me up till opening these bottle, thus my surprise. Lower acidity could intensify the perception of sweetness of course, so I won't make specific claims for actual RS amounts...tho it is my understanding that most wines do have some rs in them, if even undetectable to the taster.

PS - I also just assumed it was the sweetness/ripeness (or conversely, low acidity) that was a possible demerit for other tasters, but I could be off track about that. Anyone present who tasted the Musar want to weigh in?

 

[Brian C]

PS - I also just assumed it was the sweetness/ripeness (or conversely, low acidity) that was a possible demerit for other tasters, but I could be off track about that. Anyone present who tasted the Musar want to weigh in?

That was it for me. Didn't seem to have the acidity to cut through the rich/tropical spectrum going on.