(photo by Paul Moore)
Flying to Austin,
Texas
Chateau Musar is an oddity to most in the wine world. Even the most seasoned wine professional is mystified by the wines. I first tried Musar while I was the sommelier at Tra Vigne and immediately was beguiled by it, almost in awe and somewhat afraid. I have tried to purchase a bottle or two every year so I could continue to study the wine and find out why it captivates me like no other wine. Being offered the chance to meet Serge Hochar, owner/winemaker, seemed like the best way to understand the why of the wine.
.
The day before the tasting I was invited to join the entire Broadbent Selections portfolio, winemakers and owners for BBQ. I first met Mr. Hochar at the bar as we gathered for the bus. He immediately offered me a pint and began to pepper me with questions not about wine or my take on wine but about my experience, my life, and my passions. This defines Serge, he is a man of wine but wine is just his medium to explore life and create experiences for all around him and himself. Even when not directly speaking with him, he is a fascinating man to listen to, to be in the same space and time as a man who can so seamless discuss the pratfalls of Lebanese politics to the history of post-modern art is a rare experience. Our dinner of brisket, ribs and sausage accompanied by Musar rosé, Aresti Carmenere, and Machherndl Gruner Veltliner set the stage for what was to be one of the most important and definitive tastings of my career.
At most tastings the wine maker and/or host will pick up a glass taste it and then tell you what it tastes like while you sort of “follow” along trying hard to formulate your own opinion without being swayed by what is being said. Serge does nothing of the sort. He sets the tone of the tasting but saying that we were not at a tasting but at a “conversation”. A place where we, the place, and the wine all combine to create a specific moment in time that will lead to a unique conversation. Serge would give us three to five minuets to taste a grouping of wines, make our notes and then we he would express his philosophical idea of what life, wine, or anything is and how it shapes the idea of what wine is or is not. Throughout the event I began to write down what I have affectionately termed “Sergisms”. Each of these statements had profound impact not on what I tasted at that moment but the entire approach I take to wine, life and existence. Here are a few of my favorite:
“…wine is not a drink,
it is a companion.”
“…to fully understand
wine you MUST establish a conversation with it.”
“I call the length of
a wine its memory.”
“I am looking for life
and truth in wine.”
“Wine follows patter
of humanity and changes from time to time, from place to place, from person to
person.”
“I discover my wines
every time I taste them, today I discover them in
Austin.”
I am not sure if I necessarily understand the wine any better than I did before, but I now know to converse with the wine rather than just taste it. As with any new friend, you can only get to truly understand each other after many good conversations. I look forward to a wonderful friendship between Chateau Musar and myself.
Jeff- thank you for your Ode to Serge. Those few days in his presence will surely be some of the most important of my life. I'm glad you are able to capture here, with just a few words, the experience and perspective which Serge Hochar shares with all those who surround him.
Posted by: Riley Gerber | 03 May 2009 at 07:06 AM
I'm interested!
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