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

'Tasted at the Montrose vertical in Stamford and again at the vertical in London a few weeks later, I wondered whether the 1964 Montrose would repeat its spectacular showing at the tasting back in 2004. The answer is yes. Picked between 18 September and 1 October, unlike many Left Bank estates, Montrose managed to avoid the mid-October rains that ruined the Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a stunning bouquet, Burgundian in style, laden with far more fruité than the 1961, 1966 and 1970. Beautifully defined, there are plenty of pretty red berry fruit here laced with candied orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, clearly a "feminine" Montrose, though that does not preclude it from delivering plenty of weight and fruit intensity. There is a touch of chlorine towards the finish, but otherwise this exquisite Saint Estèphe will continue to give great pleasure for many years. Do not ignore this wonderful Montrose if you ever see it.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 97/100 (2016)