Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain
Live Virtual Auction, 14 May 2023
Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain
About the SessionAn exquisite selection of highly sought-after collectables of Fine and Rare Italian and Spanish wines.
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About this Item
Masseto is a unique and magical place, surrounded by forests and caressed by sea breezes. It lies on Italy’s Tuscan coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea near the small village of Bolgheri, on an unlikely slope, planted entirely to Merlot. Blessed with the presence of blue clay, Masseto wines are known for their unmistakable character. According to Masseto, their wines were never meant to exist, as planting vines on that unused hillside was against all advice and local tradition. Fortuitously, the potential of the site was seen in the 1980s and the first vines were planted. The winemaking is kept very simple. Their goal is simply to capture the essence of nature and take it to the highest level. The entire project is all about their amazing, very challenging vineyard and making wine with great simplicity. It is one of the most famous Super Tuscan wines and is made by Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. The wine is known for its aromatic complexity, opulent fruit and tannic structure, and is consistently regarded as one of the top wines in the world with auction prices to match. It is classified as IGT Toscana.
Producer Notes: Opulent, ripe fruit and Mediterranean herbs melt together in a glorious bouquet. The 2006 Masseto reflects the particular conditions of the vintage: ripeness, concentration and balance. The intense nose with ripe fruit and jam reflects the summer sun. On the palate it is powerful, rich, and opulent, with tightly woven, sweet, polished tannins balanced perfectly by acidity, which leads into a long finish marked by elegance and freshness.
Critics Ratings
‘This is a wine of sheer power, bliss, opulence, infinity and sublime seduction. This Merlot-based masterpiece hits all your senses with the grace of a ballerina and the power of a heavyweight. It is steady on its proverbial feet, but it also glides over the palate with a profound sense of elegance, harmony and rhythm. Among the prized vintages of Masseto, including 2001, 2004 and 2007, this edition is my favorite. The wine delivers an extra sense of tightness or firmness at the back that serves to stitch together its fleshy richness and general sumptuousness. The personality is sunny, expansive, articulate and sophisticated. You'll remember that the 2006 vintage is celebrated for the elegance of its wines. In the coastal Bolgheri appellation, it is also remembered for the power of its wines. You get the best of both worlds with this stunning creation: elegance and power. These traits are particularly well suited to the versatile grape variety at the heart of this Tuscan all-rounder. This is a true Renaissance wine.’ - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, 100/100 (Jan 2016)
‘This wine shows growing intensity the longer it stays in the glass and a very silky, polished feel in the mouth. Aromas include red fruit, spice and rosemary: this is a beautiful, balanced wine that will have a long life in your cellar.’ - Wine Enthusiast, 97/100 (Dec 2010)
‘A meaty style, this exhibits aromas of iron and cigar box more than fruit. However, this really finds its stride on the palate, offering ripe fruit, hot stone and iron flavors. A more linear red in profile, with ripe cherry, plum and spice notes on the fine aftertaste. Merlot.—Non-blind Masseto vertical (October 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040.’ - Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator, 96/100 (2018)
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.
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