Cedars of Lebanon? How 'bout 'dem grapes?

Last week we sampled some product from Chateau Musar from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. The house has drawn considerable praise from the likes of Decanter and the Wine Speculum with Serge Hochar even drawing a nomination for Man of the Year from the latter publication. However, I can not help but wonder whether the award was given for the noble task of producing a wine in a land ravaged by civil war or for the actual quality of the wine itself.
I am guessing the former.

The Base Whites...
There are quaffing wines and there are bad wines.
These are bad wines.
They do not warrant any note save "Stay Away!"
At $23.99 a bottle, the 2003 Cuvee Blanc and the 2004 Cuvee Rose were not only some of the worst wines that I have experienced, but frontrunners for GG Opus One Award for OverPriced Wines.

The Base Reds...
Hochar Pere et Fils, 2000 - The second label of the vineyard, this may be their best. The mix of CabSauv, Carignan, and Cinsault* stood up well. The color and concentration were cliche, offering that typical taut, ruby red, syrup. When I heard the phrase, "made in the classic Bordeaux style," I began to shudder and break out in cold sweats. I've been down this New World road before, and it only makes me homesick, well nostalgic for my oenological home in Burgundy. As I swished and prepared to sniff, my digits secured my frame to the tasting table , preparing for the worst, like a first time flyer in turbulence.
However, the assault of oak never quite came. Instead, I got a little tobacco, orange, and leather. The palate revealed cocoa, raspberry, cherry, and understated! tannins. The finish was medium in length and did, indeed, mimic that of a mid-grade Cali wine. True to the promotional nonsense, the vino was evocative of the sun drenched land. All in all, a nice wine with a filet, but not strong enough to support a ribeye; although the suggested price was twenty seven dollars which was roughly on Al-Ham too many.
* (Cinsault is a French varietal with a sweet, grainy flavor; it's most popular roles include Languedoc and Chateauneuf-du-Pape; the grape is often blended with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and of course, Carignan. Carignan tastes of anise, boisonberry, and pepper. The varietal is popular in warm climates such as the South of France and Spain. It is often mixed with the afore mentioned grapes or simply used to pump out table wine.)

The Reserve...
The upper end of the line, like Boston's original opus, is self titled, but for all intents and purposes it is a reserve. This juice is also mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, and Cinsault.
The two Musar vintages sampled were the same two available for sale currently, the '97 and the '95. An extremely rude rep* reluctantly poured me my tastes and then allowed me the honor of listening as he explained his pricing policy to two (tutu?) other ignorant, but well dressed patrons. Apparently, the house had a debate as to the quality of the individual years spilling over into a sticker snafu. Ultimately, a compromise came about, and both bottles were marked at the same price point, MSRP $65.00. (So, ultimately, a poor decision was made and both bottles were marked forty dollars to high! Sixty five? Have you spent too much time "tasting"?)
Anyhoo, indeed, the '97 is superior to the '95. The former is far smoother and complex, and is far better blended without the back handed slap across the face of too much unchecked CabSauv. However, like most women who have smacked me in the face, the '95 is not so simply forgotten. So, some notes...
'95 - Paraphrasing Parker, this wine spanned the gamut of taste from A to B, but at least it was consistent from A to Z as far as characteristic concentration and aggressiveness. The nose, palate, and finish all feature the same foundations of fruit, berry, game, earth, tobacco, and tannins. The finish was long lasting and added some acidity.
'97 - Here is a textbook case of the differences between a good year and a not so good year. The '97 also featured similar tastes, but in the later vintage they actually worked! The acid was balanced, the earth complimented tobacco and strawberry yielding a sort of boisonberry flavor, and the finish was something to savor not dismiss with water and crackers.* In fact, I believe that this gentleman was the proprietor himself, but, here at GG, we don't kowtow kids.