2023 Massaya - Bekaa Valley Blanc (750ml)

Massaya is a French-Lebanese collaboration founded in 1998 by brothers Sami and Ramzi Ghosn, who reclaimed their family's Bekaa Valley estate after years of civil war. What began as arak production soon grew into serious winemaking, with support from French wine legends Dominique Hébrard of Château Cheval Blanc and the Brunier family of Vieux Télégraphe. Their goal has always been to marry ancient region and ancient grapes with modern winemaking.

This white blend is made from grapes grown in the foothills of the Mount Lebanon mountain range, between 1,200 and 1,600 meters above sea level, at Massaya's Faqra winery. The 2023 vintage combines 35% Clairette, 35% Obeidi, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and 15% Chardonnay. Lebanon has no native red grapes, but two whites, Merwah and Obeidi, are indigenous to the region. Obeidi in particular gives this blend its distinctive brightness, richness, and lovely aromatics. The wine rests on its lees for eight months before bottling, from vines averaging 20 years old grown in chalky clay soils.

The result is a lithe yet supple, unoaked white with notes of spiced pear and white flowers. Clean, crisp, and characterful, it shows great aromatics and freshness thanks to its unusual mix of native and international grape varieties.

This wine is wonderful alongside a meal, particularly mezze, or simply enjoyed on its own.