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 Grands Echézeaux 2000 is a cerebral Burgundy, not quite as convincing as it was three years ago, but still a great wine. Here it has a vibrant red berry, stony bouquet that is reserved at first, but opens nicely with limestone and sea-spray scents emerging with time. It has a quite brilliant balance on the palate–not a powerful Grands Echézeaux but complex, with hints of black olive and chlorophyll emerging toward the finish that gently fans out and becomes a little spicier as it aerates. Superb.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 92/100 (Apr 2015)

'Bright cherry red with a hint of brick at the wide, pale rim. Relatively simple fruit flavepours after the 2001. Hint of cherry with some sweet candied violets. Sweet and light and flirtatious with a kick of acidity. Sprightly and zesty. Again, that fan of flavours on the finish – cherries and mulberries. Very very long. Bright fruit – much more forthcoming than the 2001. Seems at first a little simple but opens up in the glass to be thoroughly convincing.' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5/20 (Aug 2007)

'Floral, spice and cinnamon notes are evident up front. Smooth, silky tannins frame an elegant array of tangy cherry, strawberry, pepper, sage and earth notes. At its core, there is an herbal note suggestive of cluster stems, adding depth and interest. A big step up from the Echézeaux.' - Wine Enthusiast, 93/100 (Oct 2003)