2020 Merlot, Château Oumsiyat
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
The Bekaa Velvet Red
This is Lebanese Merlot with smooth edges, generous fruit and a warm Mediterranean glow. It opens with black plum, blackberry and dark cherry, then moves into chocolate, vanilla, soft spice and a gentle earthy undertone. It is plush and approachable, but the altitude of the Bekaa Valley gives it enough freshness to stop things feeling heavy.
The palate is smooth, fruit-forward and rounded, with ripe black fruit, cocoa, vanilla and supple tannins leading into a polished, easy-going finish. This is Merlot in comfort mode: generous, velvety and ready for a good table. Château Oumsiyat’s 2020 Merlot is listed as 100% Merlot, lightly filtered before bottling, with a smooth, fruit-forward profile.
For when you want a mellow, generous red with Lebanese warmth and easy charm.
Pairs with roast chicken, lamb kofta, beef stew, mushroom ragù, grilled aubergine, Sunday roast, hard cheeses, or a richly spiced tomato dish.
If this wine were… a texture, it would be dark velvet laid over warm stone, soft to the touch but still carrying the heat of the day.
Château Oumsiyat is run by the Bou Sleiman family, whose wine heritage spans four generations. Joseph Bou Sleiman built a modern winery in Mtein, while the family’s vineyards sit high in the Bekaa Valley, where warm days and cooler nights help build ripe fruit while preserving freshness. The estate’s style brings together Lebanese tradition, modern winemaking and a generous, Mediterranean sense of flavour.
Whats in the bottle
Merlot 100%