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.
Producer Notes: Not easy to exceed an impressive year such as 1997, yet 1998 too can certainly lay claim, in Bolgheri, to the title of vintage of the decade. Another warm summer yielded a powerful, concentrated Masseto, one of amazing character. Density, breadth, and depth of fruit are all well-supported by a superbly-supple mass of tannins, giving the wine an overwhelming impression of solidity and youthfulness. Still under-developed but already showing significant impact, this is a Masseto destined for long cellaring.
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
‘Very deep crimson. Aromatic and Cabernet Franc-like on the nose. Lovely combination of Merlot ripeness and the vintage’s freshness. At a perfect stage of evolution. Tighter and more focused than the 2001.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18.5/20 (Sep 2019)
‘The 1998 is even better. It shares much of the richness of the 1997, but with more delineation and nuance. The wine blossoms beautifully on the mid-palate and finish, with layers of expressive fruit and fabulous overall balance. This is a stunning Masseto. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2018.’ - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, 97/100
‘Herbaceous, with bell pepper, wild herb, coffee and cocoa notes set against a background of cherry and plum fruit. Nonetheless, this is silky and fluid, with a fine structure building to a lingering finish. Merlot. (October 2017). Drink now through 2032.’ - Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator, 97/100 (2018)
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