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Strauss & Co presents the most prestigious fine wine collection ever to come to market in SA

2 Nov 2022

It includes a deep collection of the world’s finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via reefer and has been cellared professionally since. Each bottle in 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 the quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar.

Highlights from the sale include:

Château Mouton Rothschild is not only one of the finest Bordeaux wines, but it is also one of the world’s greatest. The First Growth from Pauillac holds an incredible track record for the most consistent and long-lived wines in all of Bordeaux. It can be argued that the modern age of Chateau Mouton Rothschild arose along with the modernization of the entire Bordeaux wine region. The sale includes nine lots from 1945 to 2000.

Mouton Rothschild 1945

In 1945, to commemorate the Allied victory, Baron Philippe de Rothschild had the idea of embellishing the Mouton Rothschild label with artwork: in this instance, a symbolic design intended to celebrate the return of peace. He commissioned this from a young unknown artist, Philippe Jullian (1921-1977). Having displayed early promise as a designer, he was to go on to become a successful dramatist. He submitted several drafts for the label: this one is based on the famous “V for Victory” that Churchill used throughout the war to rally the forces of freedom. 

Neal Martin, Vinous, 100/100 (May 2020) – Monumental

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 100/100 (Oct 2019) – ATOMIC – it explodes from the glass.

Mouton Rothschild 2000

For the 2000, in an exceptional departure from this tradition, Baroness Philippine did not commission a painter. The bottle “in person” has become a collector’s item, its very glass adorned with a treasure from the Museum of Wine in Art at Mouton: the little “Augsburg Ram”, a chased silver-gilt drinking vessel created around 1590 by Jakob Schenauer, a German master goldsmith.

In order to reproduce all the refinement and lustre of the original work, after four months of research, the glassmaker B.S.N. came up with a new technique for enamelling in relief, calling for custom-made tools and work of the utmost precision. The particularly complex method for firing the gold and enamel has produced a scintillating texture and an incomparable capacity to catch the light.

A golden ring around the black foil reproduces the design engraved on the ram’s collar and recalls the chased volutes of its body. The arms, the name, the vintage and the owner’s signature have been screen-printed in gold. The bottle, of high-quality, heavy glass, has been slightly remodelled at the shoulder in the shape of a truncated cone. As proof of its authenticity, the Château Mouton Rothschild name is engraved in the base.

Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world and the only Sauternes First Growth of Bordeaux. Few wines in the world have produced consistently noble quality for more than 4 centuries.
The sale includes six lots.

D’Yquem 1899
‘The year of the first motor buses in London. So gorgeous and complete!’ – Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 20/20 (Nov 2021)

Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in the Pauillac region of the Médoc, producing one of the most sought-after and expensive red wines in the world.

The sale includes six lots from 1982 & 1986

Latour Pauillac – This leading Bordeaux château dates back to the fourteenth century.

‘The 1982 Latour has always been a quintessential Bordeaux and a quintessential Latour. The 1982 is a masterful, regal Latour and probably now the finest Left Bank exponent of this vintage. Drinking window – 2018 – 2050.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 100/100 (Jul 2018)

‘1982 was a great vintage—relatively warm and prolific, producing wines of richness and depth and it finishes with epic persistence.’ – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 100/100 (Feb 2019)

Pétrus is one of the world’s rarest and most expensive wines. Virtually unheard of 30 years ago, it was only when the Moueix family bought a half share in the property in 1962 that its true potential began to be fully realised. 

Three vintages will be going under the hammer 1973, 1994, 2005

The 2005 Pétrus is dazzling. Rich, ample and explosive. It is without question one of the standout wines of 2005.’ – Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 100/100 (Apr 2021)

Château Lafleur is amongst the most rare and expensive wines from the Pomerol appellation in Bordeaux.

Four vintages will be going under the hammer. These Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc- based wines going on auction offer a finesse and power unlike any other, producing some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Most of the wines on offer are now in a terrific drinking window where the fruit and tannins are still vibrant. Renowned for their aging, many will offer more savoury, delicate and distinguished wines after decades.