Provenance

The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains a deep collection of the worlds finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via reefer. Each bottle within the Coats Family Cellar was authenticated by Michael Egan in August 2022 and given an ID number for tracking.

Michael Egan is a world-expert in fine and rare wines with more than thirty five years of experience. He was the principal expert for the plaintiff in the two major wine counterfeiting trials in Koch v. Eric Greenberg and United States v. Rudy Kurniawan, both of which occurred in 2013.

Along with Michael Egan, the Strauss & Co Fine Wine team have tasted extensively through the cellar and are confident of the wine storage and hence quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar.

Critics Ratings

‘There are plenty of floral notes, violets, even lilies; it's extremely aromatic, subtle and precise with just some Indian spices in the background to give it an exotic character. With time in the glass, there are some earthy, mineral (even diesel-like?) aromas. It has a rare combination of power and finesse, concentrated but delicate, with buttery, ultra-refined tannins, great balance, acidity, length and a silky texture, not easy to find in Ribera del Duero. This could very well be the best Pingus ever, in the style of 1996, a year of elegance and good acidity, more Burgundian/Atlantic (Peter Sisseck does not agree with the term Burgundian applied to Ribera del Duero) than the average. This wine has the conjunction of their knowledge and the improvements in the vineyards. This is stunning, simply perfect. It has all the components to age for 20+ years.’ – Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 100/100 (Oct 2015)

‘Inky black. Very dry, dark and finely structured. Has some ripe fruit underneath but just now it is all framework, with the heart waiting to flower. Intense, firm, dry but so refined and so long.’ – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Apr 2013)

‘ Dark purple. Heady, mineral-tinged scents of red and black berry preserves, potpourri and candied licorice, with a sexy Asian spice nuance in the background. Sweet, high-pitched and delineated, offering densely packed red fruit, mineral and floral pastille flavors that are given spine by smoky minerality. Finishes long and complex, with slow-building tannins and a lingering floral pastille quality.’ – Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 95/100 (Sep 2014)