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

‘The 1961 La Mission Haut-Brion actually came from the same private collector and possibly the same case as the previous bottle encountered in Hong Kong. It has that sensational bouquet of vibrant black fruit infused with brine and Japanese nori; the definition is off the charts. The palate is structured and less sensual than the 1959 La Mission, yet it is armed with ineffable precision and lip-smacking sapidity. Juxtaposing the two, this bottle does not quite have the brilliance of the 1959 La Mission, but it is damned close.’ - Neal Martin, Vinous, 99/100 (Sept 2021)

‘Looks very much more developed and paler than the 1959. Rich, sweet, gunmetal character on the nose with a dry finish. This wine really reverberates on the palate. Long. Still lively. Meaty flavours yet relatively delicate in build. Very sweet with a menthol note and a dry finish. Great energy. Like the 1975, this wine really improved in the glass.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18.5/20 (Jun 2008)