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

'To quote my original tasting note, the 2004 Pinot Noir Marcassin Estate is -utterly profound.- Still youthful, this adolescent hits all the sweet spots on the palate as well as the olfactory senses. Dense plum/purple-colored with notes of Asian soy, porcini mushrooms, roasted meats, barbecue spices and lots of blueberry, plum, raspberry and black currant fruit, it is a deep, full-bodied, opulent tour de force in winemaking. Its youthfulness suggests it will continue to drink beautifully for at least another 15-20 years.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 100/100 (Jun 2014)

'This complex Pinot shows a mix of forest floor, porcini mushroom, dried currant and berry, with touches of smoke, anise and new oak. Pure, focused and concentrated, this is still very tightly wound, ending with a supple texture and a scent of rose petal. Drink now through 2013.' - James Laube, Wine Spectator, 93/100 (Sep 2009)

'Deep red-ruby color. Initially reticent nose opened spectacularly to show raspberry, mocha, minerals and smoke, along with sexy underbrush and forest floor elements. Began broad but closed and hiding its sweetness but with aeration showed outstanding volume, a seductively spherical texture and a restrained but nonetheless compelling sweetness of raspberry and underbrush flavors. Denser and finer-grained than the Blue Slide Ridge bottling; not obviously superior today but will probably surpass it five years down the road. Finishes with outstanding length' - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 95/100 (Jun 2006)