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

‘Raveneau's 2012 Chablis Clos is all about subtlety, nuance and class. Bright saline notes meld into a bevy of orchard fruits, flowers and mint. Here, too, the recent bottling has attenuated some of the wine's complexity and structure, but over time, the Clos starts to open up, hinting at what is to come. Ideally, the 2012 is best left alone until it is at least ten years old. Readers lucky enough to the find the Clos are in for a fabulous drinking experience.’ – Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 97+/100 (Jun 2014)

‘This is less reserved than usual with its equally elegant and pure aromas of petrol, citrus blossom, essence of stone, tidal pool and oyster shell nuances. There is stunningly good concentration and power to the broad-shouldered and big-bodied flavors that seem to be built on a base of liquid rock, all wrapped in the same almost painfully intense finish as the Valmur that just goes on and on. Like the Blanchots, this is extraordinarily saline in character. A definite 'Wow' wine!’ – Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, 97/100 (Oct 2014)

‘All the elements of a great wine: silky texture, fresh acidity, fine fruit from start to finish and a persistent palate. Tightly wound fruit-acid tension gives this wine life and energy.’ - Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Decanter.com, 96/100 (Jan 2015)

‘The 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos has a lovely nose that takes a few minutes to open, revealing subtle notes of hazelnut, grilled almond and strong saline notes. The palate is beautifully balanced with citrus peel, dried apricot, a hint of lemongrass and a long praline-tinged finish that goes on and on and on. Stunning. Drink 2015-2028+’ – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 95-97/100 (Aug 2014)