Wow, that Musar at Chambers went fast

J

Jay Miller

Jay Miller
Only 4 vintages left and only the priciest stuff.

I snagged one 1975 Blanc on Otto's earlier recommendation. Glad I moved quickly.

My prediction - the day Serge Hochar retires Musar becomes the new Verset/Truchot/Gentaz.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Wow, that Musar at Chambers went fastOnly 4 vintages left and only the priciest stuff.

I snagged one 1975 Blanc on Otto's earlier recommendation. Glad I moved quickly.

My prediction - the day Serge Hochar retires Musar becomes the new Verset/Truchot/Gentaz.
Click to expand...

You're welcome to it. You might be right though. Personally, I never really got the Truchot thing. Good wines, sure, but not Verset/Gentaz level wines.
 
Yes, I had the pleasures of Musar back in the day and feel little urge to scramble after them at these prices. You could take a joke about the winemaking when they were cheap, but now they have a story.
 
Is there no one to take over the estate after Serge retires as winemaker? I thought the next generation was at least somewhat involved in running things. In fact, it sort of says so in the Chambers e-mail. Are they not going to be knowledgeable enough about the winemaking to take over in full at some point? At least part of what drove the prices up for Gentaz/Verset/Trollat/Truchot is that when they retired there was no more wine, period, not just no more wine from the era during which those individuals were the winemakers.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Wow, that Musar at Chambers went fastOnly 4 vintages left and only the priciest stuff.

I snagged one 1975 Blanc on Otto's earlier recommendation. Glad I moved quickly.

My prediction - the day Serge Hochar retires Musar becomes the new Verset/Truchot/Gentaz.
Click to expand...

You're welcome to it. You might be right though. Personally, I never really got the Truchot thing. Good wines, sure, but not Verset/Gentaz level wines.
Click to expand...

But, Truchot wasn't expensive until recently. It was great burgundy for the price up till about the last vintage in 2005. Although, there a small release in 2006.
 
Whenever I've visited Musar, I've seen the younger Hochars actively involved so I haven't feared for the existence of the winery.

You bought some '75 white? When may I come over for a visit?
 
originally posted by Otto Nieminen:
Whenever I've visited Musar, I've seen the younger Hochars actively involved so I haven't feared for the existence of the winery.

You bought some '75 white? When may I come over for a visit?
Click to expand...

Holy shit! Visited Musar?
 
originally posted by Michael Lewis:
Is there no one to take over the estate after Serge retires as winemaker? I thought the next generation was at least somewhat involved in running things. In fact, it sort of says so in the Chambers e-mail. Are they not going to be knowledgeable enough about the winemaking to take over in full at some point? At least part of what drove the prices up for Gentaz/Verset/Trollat/Truchot is that when they retired there was no more wine, period, not just no more wine from the era during which those individuals were the winemakers.
Click to expand...

It took a good long while for Gentaz and Trollat to get expensive. Happened much faster for Verset and practically overnight for Truchot.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Yes, I had the pleasures of Musar back in the day and feel little urge to scramble after them at these prices. You could take a joke about the winemaking when they were cheap, but now they have a story.
Click to expand...

SFJoe is a genius.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Michael Lewis:
Is there no one to take over the estate after Serge retires as winemaker? I thought the next generation was at least somewhat involved in running things. In fact, it sort of says so in the Chambers e-mail. Are they not going to be knowledgeable enough about the winemaking to take over in full at some point? At least part of what drove the prices up for Gentaz/Verset/Trollat/Truchot is that when they retired there was no more wine, period, not just no more wine from the era during which those individuals were the winemakers.
Click to expand...

It took a good long while for Gentaz and Trollat to get expensive. Happened much faster for Verset and practically overnight for Truchot.
Click to expand...

But all somewhat concurrently.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Otto Nieminen:
Whenever I've visited Musar, I've seen the younger Hochars actively involved so I haven't feared for the existence of the winery.

You bought some '75 white? When may I come over for a visit?
Click to expand...

Holy shit! Visited Musar?
Click to expand...

Of course. Ante bellum I used to take a shared taxi regularly from Damascus to Beirut and Musar's winery is just a short drive north of Beirut. Pre-war in this area was the most fascinating thing for me: I could stay at the Finnish Institute in Damascus and travel all over the surrounding areas. And I could indulge in my love of both pre-Islamic and early-Islamic archaeology; Arabic and all other Semitic languages; and I could have great wine, too! The current situation is depressing on a personal level, too, in addition to the more real tragedy happening there. I don't have such contacts in Lebanon as I had in Syria, but I think I'll still soon take a long trip to Lebanon if I can afford it.
 
originally posted by Otto Nieminen:
Whenever I've visited Musar, I've seen the younger Hochars actively involved so I haven't feared for the existence of the winery.

You bought some '75 white? When may I come over for a visit?
Click to expand...

If you think you might actually visit the NYC area in the next few years I'll hold onto it. But if not it will probably be opened in a year or two.
 
originally posted by Michael Lewis:
Is there no one to take over the estate after Serge retires as winemaker? I thought the next generation was at least somewhat involved in running things. In fact, it sort of says so in the Chambers e-mail. Are they not going to be knowledgeable enough about the winemaking to take over in full at some point? At least part of what drove the prices up for Gentaz/Verset/Trollat/Truchot is that when they retired there was no more wine, period, not just no more wine from the era during which those individuals were the winemakers.
Click to expand...

I believe the sons have very active roles in the Hochar as well as, if not entirely, the "jeune" line-up.
 
originally posted by wrrntl:
The older whites of Musar are easily some of the best wines I have had on my young voyage of wine.
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That sounds intriguing. I've only had Ksara's white, which ims is Semillon-Chardonnay, and always a decent tipple, but not comparable, I imagine.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
originally posted by wrrntl:
The older whites of Musar are easily some of the best wines I have had on my young voyage of wine.
Click to expand...

That sounds intriguing. I've only had Ksara's white, which ims is Semillon-Chardonnay, and always a decent tipple, but not comparable, I imagine.
Click to expand...

I did a large vertical with Serge once and he saves the whites for last. When they started pouring them, his eyes just lit up in a way that you knew these were "his" wines. If you ever have a chance to do an event with Serge present, do it! Easily one of the more dynamic people in this industry.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Yes, I had the pleasures of Musar back in the day and feel little urge to scramble after them at these prices. You could take a joke about the winemaking when they were cheap, but now they have a story.
Click to expand...

SFJoe is a genius.
Click to expand...
Come for the VA and stay for the brett! That said, I enjoy them in that stanky funk. Not enough to scramble after them as the ghouls did post Quintarelli or Dagueneau mortal-coil shuffle.
 
Speaking of Musar, I happened to notice this morning that Flickinger has halves of the 1999 (a vintage I thought fantastic on release) on pre-arrival for only $21.99@.

A nice way to track the wine while waiting for our 750s to mature.
 
originally posted by John McIlwain:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Yes, I had the pleasures of Musar back in the day and feel little urge to scramble after them at these prices. You could take a joke about the winemaking when they were cheap, but now they have a story.
Click to expand...

SFJoe is a genius.
Click to expand...
Come for the VA and stay for the brett! That said, I enjoy them in that stanky funk. Not enough to scramble after them as the ghouls did post Quintarelli or Dagueneau mortal-coil shuffle.
Click to expand...

When you say VA and brett, you mean the red?
 
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