Provenance

The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains an expansive 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 refrigerated container. 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 same hue – garnet – as the Échezeaux but less dense. This seems to have a broader range of aromas than the Échezeaux. There’s still the dark-red fruit and a light note of spice but also something more like cedar and the freshness of a forest, even minty. Even more savoury and less open than the Échezeaux, with a tight grip on itself, tightly constrained and all waiting to open but needs a lot more time to do so. Very mineral on the palate, as if the fruit is locked in a steel box. The tannins are paper-fine in texture but so closely packed that they keep everything closed. Long, dry, savoury, mineral finish.’ – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18.5++/20 (Feb 2017)

‘Superb nose of raspberry, cherry, spices and savoury notes with a wonderful silky texture and a vibrant black fruit finish. An amazing wine that is already tasting so well so young.’ – Decanter.com, 95/100 (Feb 2016)

‘Here the expressive nose is even spicier and more floral with its lovely array of rose petal, lilac and lavender scents adding elegance to the mostly dark pinot and earth aromas that are also trimmed in a bit of wood but in this case it is even more subtle. As is virtually always the case this is bigger, richer, more powerful and more muscular with excellent volume to the rich and mouth coating flavors that deliver superb length on the chiseled, robust and hugely long finale. Patience will definitely be required.’ – Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, 95/100 (Jan 2017)

‘The 2014 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 23 and 24 September at 32.5 hectoliters per hectare. Slightly deeper in color compared to the 2014 Echézeaux, it is undeniably a tangible step up in intensity and complexity, offering disarming raspberry, crushed strawberry, and crushed limestone that almost verges on flintiness. It has beguiling purity and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with a noticeably grippy entry. It has a strong saline seam, structured but not a dense Grands Echézeaux. It gently fans out on the finish with pretty, mineral-soaked red fruit, although the aftertaste is not as prolonged as some of the greatest vintages I have tasted from this esteemed vineyard. Nevertheless, it remains a supremely gifted wine that will bestow two, possibly three decades of drinking pleasure.’ – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 94/100 (Feb 2017)