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 Le Pin is situated on the Bordeaux Right-Bank in the appellation of Pomerol and is named for the single pine tree that grows near the winery. Considered one of the most sought-after and expensive wines in the world, Le Pin commands some of the most consistently high prices on auction worldwide, bolstered by equally high critic ratings. Made from 100% Merlot, the grapes are sourced from only 2.7 hectares of vineyard that surrounds the winery and only 600-700 cases of wine are produced annually.
The original single hectare property was established in the 1920’s and bought by Jacques Thienpont in 1979 for a million francs. The vineyards were further developed by Thienpont, whose family own the neighbouring Vieux Château Certan, and the wine was initially made in tiny quantities in a farmhouse basement. Today the wine is made in a state-of-the-art winery upgraded in 2011, but the quantities remain tiny, as the demand for this exquisite wine grows.
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 offers a perfect marriage of lightly mulled raspberry and boysenberry fruit, with delightful allspice, juniper and alder notes that are so fine-grained they have a cashmere feel. Hints of rooibos, bergamot and black tea weave in on the finish, where a light sanguine echo hangs like the tightly pitched buzz of a tuning fork. A pretty incredible display of length, too. Sublime. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases made.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 99/100 (Dec 2015)
‘The 1990 Le Pin has more in common with the 1982 than most wines of this vintage. This wine exhibits concentrated fig, blackberry, creme de cassis, kirsch, roasted coffee, herb, and spice box characteristics, and incredible amounts of glycerin as well as velvety tannins. Still tasting like an adolescent, it rocks and rolls across the palate in a glorious manner. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.’ - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 98/100 (Jun 2009)
