Château Héritage Nine

In 1888, the Touma Family established one of the first wineries and distilleries in Lebanon in the small town of Kab-elias of the Bekaa Valley, to produce wine and Arak Touma, which is now perhaps Lebanon’s leading arak brand, also stocked by us.

The Héritage winery was established and released its first modern wines in 1997. The Bekaa Valley is the source of the majority of Lebanon’s wine and Arak. It is a 40-mile-long and 7-mile-wide fertile valley which is protected from rain by the Mount Lebanon mountain range to the west, and from the desert heat by the mountains on the Syrian border to the west. It lies around 1,000 metres above sea level allowing for a significant diurnal swing between the hot summer days and cool nights. The treacherous road to Beirut over the top of Mount Lebanon is frequently closed in winter due to snow. The majority of Château Héritage's vines are on the lower south-east facing slopes of Mt Lebanon, just above the winery, which ensures they're well drained with great exposure to sunlight, while being slightly cooler than the valley floor vineyards.

As its name suggests, this wine blends 9 varieties: Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache, Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet-Franc, to make a medium-weight, unoaked spicy red with aromatic plum and cherry notes, accented with hints of charcuterie and pepper. Drinks like good Côtes du Rhône.