Chateau Musar Rouge 1998

Pale, particularly bright garnet. Light, spicy, particularly well-integrated nose. Already well developed. Sweet start and very nicely mature. Seems just right now. The opposite of heavy. Lifted, jewel-bright. Really lovely wine. Fresh, sweet with some very slight mintiness. Dry finish and it would go beautifully with food.

The 1998 Chateau Musar is a rather prototypical Musar – lots of acidity, some brett, fine structure. It reveals a more gentle style on opening, but aeration proves how much underlying power it actually has. There is a good analogy here to the 1994, concerning both how they showed early on and later. There is plenty of power, tannin and acidity, but there is also some balance.