Château Ksara, Rouge, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2010

Ksara’s ‘grand vin’ is a Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot blend grown on the west side of the Bekaa.  The 2010 was the penultimate wine in a small vertical in which the 1999 and 2002 also showed very well (as well as a gentle, feathery 1960 with lunch).  Aromatically, the 2010 has a thick, almost burly wall of spicy scent and incense richness over sweet elderberry fruits; on the palate it combines explosive energy with soft richness in a notably unforbidding way (a trait the Bekaa shares with the Napa).  It’s so spicy that even the tannins seem spice-drenched.  Pure, reverberative, serene.