Château Ksara “Cuvée du Troisième Millénaire” 2015

COUNTRY: Lebanon

APPELLATION (AVA): Bekaa Valley

VINTAGE: 2018

GRAPES:  40% Petit Verdot, 30% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Franc

VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested and de-stemmed before fermentation for one month followed by malolactic fermentation, aged 18 months in French oak (50% new)

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Dense deep purple

BODY: Full (9-10)

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Ripe black currant, smoke, leather, sage, red raspberry, vanilla bean, dried violet

FLAVOR: Bold structure & concentration, power, and firm tannins, jammy currant, leather, oak, lengthy finish

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 14%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION:
Serve with game, red meat dishes in dark sauce, or meatier fish cooked in red wine. Can be enjoyed immediately or aged up to fifteen years.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: 
“From its founding in 1857, Château Ksara Estate lives and grows through the core values of Tradition, Nobility, and Modernity. And as the country’s oldest winery, we have made it our mission to not only continue our unique, centuries-old practice of winemaking, but to also implement the newest and most innovative processes, and continue leading the winemaking in Lebanon for generations to come.”

ABOUT THE VINEYARDS: 
“Our vineyards are located in the Bekaa Valley at an average altitude of 1,000 meters. The Bekaa has a semi-continental climate. The winters are cold with moderate rainfall and the summers are hot and dry. The altitude means that the hot summer days are balanced by cool evenings with a temperature difference of around 15°C. The vineyards also benefit from the land’s own natural water table, which is situated between two snow-capped mountain ranges. We have between 600 and 700mm of yearly rainfall, concentrated in autumn and winter. In contrast, the weather is dry during summer months and growing seasons, resulting in far fewer diseases. Pesticides and herbicides are not used, so the grapes are grown almost organically. The soil ranges from chalk, to clay and chalk, to clay and limestone, but it is always stony.”

(chateauksara.com)