Johannesburg Auction Week
Live Virtual Auction, 6 November 2022
Coats Family Cellar | Iconic Bordeaux
About the SessionThe 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.
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About this Item
Château Haut-Brion is the only First Growth situated in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, and its unique terroir has produced prized wines for close to 600 years. After a visit on May 25, 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote in his diary; “The soil of Haut-Brion, which I examined in great detail, is made up of sand, in which there is near as much round gravel or small stones and very little loam like the soils of the Médoc.”. Typical of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, the 50-hectare property is planted to all the allowed red and white grape varieties, with the Haut-Brion Blanc often demanding higher prices than that of the red.
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
'This has terrific depth and cut, offering a core of dried pineapple, Jonagold apple and white peach fruit, along with quinine and gooseberry notes, all lined with a bracing jicama edge. The finish is backed by salted butter, brioche and shortbread details. Shows power and purity, with terrific length. Approachable now, but give this time. Best from 2017 through 2030.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 97/100 (Mar 2014)
‘A blend of 42.1% Sauvignon and 57.9% Semillon, the Haut-Brion Blanc has a slightly deeper colour than the La Mission Blanc. It displays great minerality on the nose, with precision and clarity, notes of green apple, lime flower, zest and white peach. The palate is medium-bodied with great precision on the entry, lovely poise, very elegant with a beautiful, delicate white peach and mineral finish with hints of guava and lychee in the background. Superb.’ - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 95-97/100 (Apr 2012)
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