Tag: red wine

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 the Lebanese Wine called Chateau Khoury Symphonie

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Khoury Symphonie 2010

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Chateau Khoury Symphonie 2010
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah
Year: 2010
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 8, 2025

I uncorked the bottle during a casual family dinner. This was my first time trying anything by Chateau Khoury, and their Chateau Symphonie 2010 turned out to be a wine worth returning to.

It’s the kind of bottle that wins you over slowly. The first sip is nice, but the second and third sips are much nicer. The Chateau Symphonie is very approachable yet expressive, it is refined without being showy…

The palate is smooth, with medium acidity and matured, well-integrated tannins, and its name really suits its spirit as it offers a symphony of notes, including ripe red fruits and black cherries, and subtle touches of cocoa and oak.

Review of Chateau Cana Les Cabires, a Lebanese red wine from Mount Lebanon.

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Cana Les Cabires Rouge 2018

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Name: Chateau Cana Les Cabires Rouge 2018
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah
Year: 2018
Country: Lebanon
Region: Mount Lebanon
Date Consumed: November 2, 2025

Here we have Chateau Cana’s Les Cabires Rouge 2018. It opens with a balanced and somewhat straightforward profile. But there’s nothing in the sip that would knock you off your feet. It has medium acidity and moderate tannins. And it leans toward an easy-drinking structure rather than a statement wine.

In comparison to the Comète Rouge, which is, in my humble opinion, their most successful blend (even if it isn’t their most premium bottle), Les Cabires feels more… restrained.

Briefly put, Chateau Cana’s Les Cabires Rouge is a composed wine that does its job well, but we can add that it doesn’t seek the spotlight. It is a reliable bottle with modest ambition. It’s the kind of bottle you enjoy over conversation rather than contemplation. It’s competent, balanced, but not memorable.