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

'While there is certainly plenty of wood here, the wine has weight and impressive concentration for the year. The tannins are still brooding away, giving a dark firm character to the wine. Blackberry fruits and acidity are there, but still well buried in the tannins.' - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 95/100 (Apr 2010)

'Mid crimson with a pale nose. A little bit of animal fur on the nose and then great fluidity on the palate. The acidity is very marked. Racy and floral. A bit chewy on the end.' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18.5/20 (Feb 2017)

'The 2007 Ausone has a high-toned bouquet, a little flashy in style compared to its peers with touches of salted licorice coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and fine acidity. This is more cohesive and mild-mannered than the feisty aromatics, with good depth and a caressing, quite plush finish.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 92/100 (Jun 2017).