A rollercoaster of a wine over the week of tasting; very difficult to judge. At the first taste it seems quite developed – even over the hill – but it was nicely built on the palate: 90 points. Then it improves slowly, retaining those autumn leaves and leathery aromas but developing a most sensual texture on the palate and a complex finish: 93 points. After four days, it reached its first summit – that of a developed Musar; lovely. Then it went down again, only to resurge after a week, with a very complex expression of almonds, hazelnuts, dates and figs: gorgeous!

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. (That is, a lot.) 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. I loved the silky texture, emphasized in this vintage. It finishes with a controlled bang. This greatly benefitted from some air, showing layers that I did not initially think it had, but it does seem a bit on the lighter side. Drink now-2030. - MS