MITPTC #33 - Château St-Thomas Vallée de la Bekaa 2015

Y'all, one of the great things about committing to this newsletter is that it pushes me to try new stuff. Indeed, now that I barely drink at all in this newborn-having phase of mine, I am trying to make every bottle I pop open interesting enough to be worth sharing here. And let me tell you this week will be an absolute TREAT when it comes to both new discoveries and great quality wine at a nearly unbelievable ROI.

When I got to my favorite wine shop a few weeks ago, I was curious to see a French label on the "Curiosity" shelf. I mean, someone must have misplaced it, yeah?

Nope - it just happened to be a rather rare example of a wine producing country I had read about but never tasted: Lebanon. Of course, I had to buy the bottle right then and there and was excited to share my thoughts on it with you fine folks.

Of course, Lebanon may not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of wine, but it probably should. Why? Well, maybe because it has been producing wine for over 5,000 years? Yup- not kidding. It's also no real surprise when you think of it: the place is located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and has been a hub of trade and commerce for thousands of years. The Phoenicians, who were the ancient inhabitants of the region, were known to have produced wine as early as 3,000 BCE.

Lebanon is thus home to some of the oldest vineyards in the WORLD, and its wines have been enjoyed by many, including ancient civilizations and modern wine enthusiasts alike. And now they're making their way to this newsletter - talk about full circle, right?

Now, one of the most notable styles of Lebanese wine is the Bordeaux-style blend. This means wine made using grape varieties commonly found in the Bordeaux region of France, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, among others. While similar to Bordeaux in style, they also have their very own thing - mostly due to the unique geography, soil and savoir-faire of the place, which snooty wine folks call terroir (or turwaaaaaaahr if they happen to be from Australia - sorry Aussies).

Lebanon's climate is characterized by hot summers and cold winters, with a significant diurnal temperature variation that contributes to the development of complex flavors and aromas in the grapes. Moreover, the country's high-altitude vineyards, which are located at elevations of up to 1,800 meters above sea level, benefit from the cooling influence of the Mediterranean Sea and the snow-capped mountains, creating ideal conditions for grape growing. It's really no wonder they planted grapes early there - it's pretty much perfect for that.

The result of all these factors is a wine that is rich, full-bodied, and complex, with flavors of dark fruit, spice, and earth. Lebanese Bordeaux-style blends are also known for their age-worthiness, meaning they can be cellared for years, allowing their flavors and aromas to develop and mature over time.

OK. Now that you have a bit of an intro, you're probably as excited as I was to sample this bad boy. On to the tasting phase!

The Skinny

• From: Lebanon

• Varietals: Cabernet-Sauvignon 85 %, Merlot 10%, Syrah 5%

• Price: $28,25 CAD

• Feature: None

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this is giving aged Bordeaux realness in droves. Warm blueberry pie, blackcurrants, cinnamon, cloves, cedar, old dry leaves, some gunpowder, graphite... There's definitely a LOT to unpack here. Not as much "tertiary" (i.e. ageing-related notes) as you could expect from a 20+ year-old Bordeaux, but still some real complexity that could leave you hanging in that glass for a long while just thinking out loud. Quite mesmerizing, really.

On the palate, this has a luscious, velvety mouthfeel and presence that feels very luxe (Look Ma - I just turned into a beauty product Youtuber). You can tell tannins were quite intense at some point, but they've definitely eased up and mellowed with ageing. I really wouldn't take much less of them with all that's going on flavor wise. Speaking of flavors, you still get that dominant black fruit note throughout, along with warm aromatic spices that linger through to the long, pleasant finish. The real kicker here, however, is the shiny bright acidity that keeps things light and airy despite all that is going on flavor-wise. This is the kind of feature that takes a decent 3* wine into the 4* category, and this one has it nailed.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

To say I am impressed would be an understatement. In fact, my instinct right now is just to go and buy every single high end Lebanese wine I can find, as this was a hell of an introduction. It is not often that you can find something so complex and yet so pleasant and not overly heavy or cloying. There's definitely mastery showing in this very well-balanced wine - highly recommended stuff, y'all.

Cork Score: 4/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.