Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain
Live Virtual Auction, 14 May 2023
Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain
About the SessionAn exquisite selection of highly sought-after collectables of Fine and Rare Italian and Spanish wines.
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About this Item
Masseto is a unique and magical place, surrounded by forests and caressed by sea breezes. It lies on Italy’s Tuscan coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea near the small village of Bolgheri, on an unlikely slope, planted entirely to Merlot. Blessed with the presence of blue clay, Masseto wines are known for their unmistakable character. According to Masseto, their wines were never meant to exist, as planting vines on that unused hillside was against all advice and local tradition. Fortuitously, the potential of the site was seen in the 1980s and the first vines were planted. The winemaking is kept very simple. Their goal is simply to capture the essence of nature and take it to the highest level. The entire project is all about their amazing, very challenging vineyard and making wine with great simplicity. It is one of the most famous Super Tuscan wines and is made by Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. The wine is known for its aromatic complexity, opulent fruit and tannic structure, and is consistently regarded as one of the top wines in the world with auction prices to match. It is classified as IGT Toscana.
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
‘Fragrant and mellow nose. Very contained and neat. The opposite of exuberant,.Lovely balance. Still firm but if given blind it would be very difficult to guess it was Masseto! Truffley nose. Umami/mushroom.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5/20 (Sep 2109)
‘The 2010 Masseto is truly monumental, leaving you breathless and wordless all at once. Once you sip the wine, it takes a few minutes before you grasp the enormity of its beauty and potential. You almost have to wonder how enologist Axel Heinz could conceive of a wine this beautiful - and how did he execute it? I could wax poetic for hours: Dark cherry, chocolate, baking spice and tobacco smoke lift off the bouquet in thin veils and magical puffs. The quality of the aromas is exceptional, but again, the seamless integration is what makes Masseto a protagonist of Italian wine. No matter how much time goes by, that beauty will remain firmly etched in your memory bank. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.’ - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, 98/100 (Aug 2013)
‘The phenomenal 2010 vintage shows why this wine is considered Italy's top purebred Merlot. Revealing structure, finesse and mesmerizing depth, it delivers blackberries, currants, cedar, exotic spices and mocha alongside firm, polished tannins and fresh acidity. It's well balanced with fantastic length and while it's delicious now, hold for more complexity. Drink 2015–2030. ‘ - Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, 97/100 (May 2014)
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