Author: Chris Khatsch

There must be a little art in everything I create, even if my creation is as cold as a machine and follows empirical data.
Chateau Trois Collines Nysa Review

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Trois Collines Red Nysa 2022

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Name: Chateau Trois Collines Nysa 2022
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Agiorgetiko
Year: 2022
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 15, 2025

An interesting blend suitable for many occasions. Good for casual nights, but equally at home during a proper wine night with friends. It’s not the red that everybody will talk about the next day, but it’s definitely one of the first two or three bottles you’ll want to open. Especially if you’re heading into the kind of evening where six, seven, eight bottles or more mysteriously disappear.

It’s a smooth, fun, and lively wine that everybody can enjoy.

Notes on the Atibaia Red 2017

Lebanese Wines: Atibaia Red 2017

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Name: Atibaia Red 2017
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah
Year: 2017
Country: Lebanon
Region: North Lebanon
Date Consumed: November 16, 2025

Atibaia Red 2017 opens with a soft nose. We get dried fruits, warm spices, and a touch of tobacco. On the palate, the wine is smooth and composed. It is medium-to-full bodied, and we get notes of wood and a gentle velvet texture. It’s balanced, almost refined, and undeniably enjoyable. I think I’d enjoy it even more if I were smoking a medium-bodied Dominican cigar…

But here’s the tension: The Atibaia Red 2017 is priced above its weight.

Lebanon has no shortage of excellent reds in this style, many offering more complexity and character at half the cost. The Atibaia Red is a good (almost great) wine, but it doesn’t fully justify the premium it asks for. It’s the kind of bottle you buy when you’re invited to lunch or dinner and want to show up with something polished to impress the host. It’s not the wine you casually uncork at home on a Wednesday (or even a Sunday) night without thinking twice.

Why the high price? Perhaps the winemaking leans heavily on tradition, or perhaps they’re targeting a specific niche. Whatever the reason, it raises the question more than it answers it.

Would I drink it again? Absolutely… but under the right circumstances. With its current price tag, it competes with dozens of Lebanese bottles that offer more depth, and frankly, better value.

The Atibaia Red 2017 is a lovely wine. A costly one. And one I’d revisit… occasionally.

Review of Chateau Khoury's Cuvee Ste Therese 2019

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Khoury Cuvee Ste Therese 2019

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Name: Chateau Khoury Cuvee Ste Therese 2019
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Caladoc, Pinot Noir
Year: 2019
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 12, 2025

I opened this bottle during a relaxed lunch with my wife. It turned out to be the kind of wine that makes you nod approvingly after every sip.

This is the second Chateau Khoury wine we’ve tried (so far). The first one was the Chateau Khoury Symphonie 2010. We liked both very much.

The nose of the Cuvee Ste Therese offers bright notes of red fruits and friendly, agreeable spices. It feels open and lively, and it slides invitingly into the glass.

On the palate, the wine is dry and medium-bodied, The tannins are there, but they’re amicable. And a gentle thread of oak runs through it. The taste is fresh, frank, and unpretentious.

It is what it is: a good wine elevating a weekday lunch.

I’d gladly revisit this one…

I’d want to drink more of it next summer, probably chilled.