Château Marsyas

Château Marsyas lies at 900 to 990 metres in the southern Bekaa Valley, an area already mentioned by name by the Greek geographer Strabo and the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder: Marsyas, after the Phrygian satyr who symbolised man's freedom before the gods. The estate was founded by Johnny R. Saadé and his sons Karim and Sandro, who returned to their Levantine roots after years of international business. To establish the vineyards they engaged the renowned Bordeaux consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. On the red clay and limestone soils of the Bekaa Valley, the family plants chiefly Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, complemented by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites. Warm, dry summers and cool nights give the grapes ample time to ripen slowly and fully. Worth knowing: alongside Marsyas, the Saadé family also runs Domaine de Bargylus, a sister estate on the Syrian coast near ancient Laodicea. Two estates, one family, and a shared belief in the underrated wine potential of the Levant.