Château Musar is one of the wine world's greatest stories: founded in the 1930s, the winery has endured many years of war, even using the winery as a bomb shelter. A classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan, producing a wine of sublime power, complexity and grace. Tastes like a 40 year old Bordeaux and requires the same amount of decanting. The 1998 Chateau Musar is a rather prototypical Musar – lots of acidity, some brett, fine structure. It reveals a more gentle style on opening, but aeration proves how much underlying power it actually has. (That is, a lot.) There is a good analogy here to the 1994, concerning both how they showed early on and later. There is plenty of power, tannin and acidity, but there is also some balance, with a lovely silky texture, emphasized in this vintage. It finishes with a controlled bang. This greatly benefitted from some air, showing layers that I did not initially think it had, but it does seem a bit on the lighter side. Drink now-2030.