CHATEAU KEFRAYA LES COTEAUX 2019

Michel de Bustros planted Château Kefraya's first vines in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in 1951 — on hillsides Romans once used as military posts — and the estate survived the 1975–1990 civil war to release its inaugural vintage in 1979. This 2019 Les Coteaux blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Cinsault from dry-farmed, organically managed clay-limestone, gravel, and sand soils at high-altitude elevations that create sharp day-to-night temperature swings. Hand-harvested grapes macerate two to three weeks in stainless steel, undergo malolactic fermentation in concrete, then age 11 months with 55% new French oak, followed by 16 months in bottle. Black cherry, wood spice, and dark earth on the nose; smooth tannins and concentrated fruit on the palate.