Bekaa Valley (Lebanon)

Bekaa Valley Cinsault is the warm-climate, high-altitude Lebanese face of the grape: a pale, silky, low-tannin red grown on a sun-baked plateau over a mile of limestone and gravel, where fierce Mediterranean heat is tempered by cool mountain nights. It trades the workhorse reputation of southern-French Cinsault for something fragrant and characterful — spiced red berries, dried rose and a warm, gently peppery lift — and it is the historic backbone of Lebanon's most famous wine, Château Musar.