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

‘The 2002 RunRig (97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier aged in 100% new French oak) represents the essence of old vine Barossa fruit. Extraordinarily opulent and rich, but playing it closer to the vest than the 2001, it gets my nod as one of the most remarkable wines made in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere. An inky/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of apricots, honeysuckle, black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, and a hint of roasted meats. The wood has been soaked up by the wine’s extraordinary concentration. Fashioned from four sectors of Barossa (Maranaga, Koonunga Hill, Moppa, and Greenock), it spent 30 months in primarily new oak, and was bottled without fining or filtration. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020+.’ - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 99/100 (Oct 2005)

‘This lauded wine is made from Shiraz vines of between 100 and 156 years old, apparently, and contains 3 per cent Viognier, right from the pioneering first vintage 1995. You can certainly smell the Viognier on the nose. The wine is incredibly full, rich and sweet with a sensation of wild purple fruit flavours and more than a hint of elderberries. Subtle it ain't, and it's still disjointed on the palate but it's amazingly persistent and vibrant. I can quite see why it has such a devoted following – and an incredibly wide distribution at around $200 a bottle.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Jul 2005)

‘Medium-bodied; fragrant, elegant style with lifted aromatics and a finely drawn, structured and balanced palate; smoky blackberry fruit with just a hint of apricot; fine, long tannins. High quality cork.’ - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, 95/100 (Mar 2005)