Château Musar 2008 Jeune Red Red (Bekaa Valley)

The Jeune Red from Château Musar's second line (formerly labeled Musar Cuvée Rouge) is a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that smells sweetly of ripe black cherries with rustic herbal and earthy notes. It opens softly with sweet blackberries and a hint of green bramble, but is chased by a mid-palate of fairly aggressive tannins and acidity. Fermented and aged in concrete vats, the Musar Jeune is completely unoaked and intended for early consumption, but would probably do nicely with some bottle aging as well. Anna Lee C. Iijima