Whilst out shopping with my mother, I came across this forlorn looking 375 ml bottle of 1975 Chateau Musar in a patio furniture emporium. Having only my phone with me, I took a quick snap of this once proud, now crestfallen wine relegated to being a mere prop on a circular teak table, but not before I caught the attention of the shop owner. I then endured a 5 minute long dissertation on the merits of a another table (that I feigned interest in) and it's 6" by 2" teak plank top. Not about to fork out $2500 for the aforementioned table, I finally summoned up the courage to inquire as to the provenance of the dejected looking baby-bottle of wine. It was indeed a genuine bottle of Chateau Musar purchased from Sotheby's in New York by a wine-loving friend of the table-touter.Having shared many wonderful bottles of Musar in the past with my brother and Lord Roby, I left the store feeling rather glum - I do tend to be overly anthropomorphic. What a sad fate to befall this diminutive bottle of wine which once had the potential of being set upon a tabletop as the star of the show, only to be demoted to a supporting role. Wine is meant to be enjoyed...not displayed.
19 comments:
We should liberate the little blighter.
anthropomorphic??
oh and rob it ;-)
Ahh!! Chateau Musar,my fave wine label.Classy and understated.Not bad for the Gaston of Lebanon.
Any mention of Musar tends to lead to wistful and nostalgic memories in us all! Mine are of signing many a good deal over not a small number of bottles, in a pseudo-Greek restaurant in Llandudno!
In Verona, wine is often used to adorn various shop windows--of course, they don't use wines that are up for auction.
As for Musar, hit or miss with me: sometimes they are sublime; sometimes they are v.a. or Brett. to excess.
Thomas...I'm ok with the brett but others less so a case of what one is accustomed to I suppose.
Sure, Thud, but excess Brett could also mean inconsistency in future bottles of the same vintage.
Thud & Monkey: It's fine where it is!
Lord Roby: Good memories :)
Affer: How exotic, Llandudno!
Thomas & Thud: Of course I/we have had Musar with varying degrees of Brett...just drink younger vintages!
gotta love finding stuff in random places eh
Good idea, Vinogirl, if only the good folks at Musar could tell us when each bottle will go off ;)
Weston: It was a little random.
Thomas: I enjoy young wines, imbibed in a glass of an '07 Napa Cab last night. Sure it will benefit from a few years of aging but it was still a very tasty juvenile, so Musar on release (before the Brett population has a chance to increase) would be just fine by my palate. If I'm in the mood for something iffy, older, and tired...I'll open a French wine :)
so LOVE the Musar wines. and gotta love any blog where the term anthropomorphic is used... :-)
'Wine is meant to be enjoyed...not displayed.'
Couldn't agree more....it's Villager via Yorkshire Photo !!!
Musar, the wine originally championed in Blighty by Auberon Waugh, my utter hero!
Ron, funny how personalities can influence our taste buds...I love Chasse-Spleen due to the Lord Byron association :)
VG. don't you mean Lord Roby?
I mean Lord Byron and Lord Roby!
Vinogirl - why on earth did you not ask them how much for the Musar? I know that (dependent on how long it had been stood up in the shop) it might be shot by now, but then again it might be sublime! Musar is (and always has been) one of my favourite wines. VA? I love it!
Leon, interesting thought. However, the head space is massive...I think this wine needs to remain a prop.
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