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

‘A luscious Lafite that is silky and elegant with layers of wonderful violet, berry, cherry and chocolate flavors. It's full-bodied, with racy, refined tannins and good length. Drinkable now, but best from 1999 and through another decade.’ – Wine Spectator, 93/100 (Jan 1997)

‘The 1994 Lafite-Rothschild is a vintage that I have not tasted for some time. Poured blind, it has a healthy colour with modest signs of aging on the brick rim. Since this is 99.5% Cabernet Sauvignon (I always thought it was 100%!) it is dominated by classic aromas associated with that variety: undergrowth and tobacco, just a touch of graphite. Like the 1961, I actually miss the Merlot component because the wine does feel a little two-dimensional. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. That tannins are coarser than recent vintages, and there is a little hardness on the finish that would have been mollified by the Merlot, but this stocky Lafite-Rothschild is still going strong. Just partner it with the right dish rather than drink on its own.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 90/100 (May 2018)

‘Lafite's 1994 is the first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine made at this estate. The only other wine that had such a high Cabernet content was the 1961. The 1994 is not an easy wine to figure out. I felt more positively about it this year than last, but it is an atypically powerful, ferociously tannic, frightfully backward Lafite that appears to require 15-20 years of cellaring before its huge tannin level will begin to melt away. The extraordinarily dense color saturation and intense ripeness undoubtedly suggest that something profound may well emerge from this wine in two decades. On the other hand, 20 years of aging could result in a marvelously well-constructed wine that remains hard, tough, and charmless. It's a gamble, but for readers who love Lafite and have the necessary income, it may be worth it.’ – Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 90/100 (Apr 1996)