Baghera Wines stands by wines’ provenance

Swiss auctioneer Baghera Wines has said it stands by the authenticity and provenance of the fine wine that was sold at its recent sale – from which several lots of DRC were suddenly withdrawn.

The house has said the wines were “thoroughly” examined before the sale and in light of recent “rumours” surrounding the provenance and authenticity of many lots, namely a large amount of fine Burgundy from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti had led to the Domaine itself to examine the bottles sold in Geneva last Sunday.

Baghera Wines’ statement reads: “Exceptionally, in consideration of the eminence of the collection and in regards to the rumours that have surrounded the sale, on Tuesday 24 May, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti examined every single bottle sold last Sunday — corroborating and endorsing Baghera Wines’ initial expertise.”

the drinks business has contacted the domaine and received confirmation that Baghera Wines’ statement is true and correct.

Six lots of DRC, however, were withdrawn from the sale, possibly as a result of concerns raised by US-based lawyer, Don Cornwell, a few days before although this was not expressly stated as the reason.

The statement merely said: “As a precautionary measure for their buyers, Baghera Wines had chosen to withdraw several lots from the sale for further inspection.”

Baghera Wines told db it was not willing to divulge the exact lot numbers that were withdrawn so it is impossible to know which, if any, might match the ones Cornwell drew attention to in his post on wineberserkers.com.

The company’s auction on Sunday 22 May featured over 1,000 bottles of DRC and the sale made over CHF 6 million (£4m) but the sale results were quickly overshadowed by claims that the origins of many lots may have been falsely represented and that they and other bottles were very possibly counterfeit.

Cornwell, expressed severe doubts over several lots of both Burgundy and Bordeaux he considered highly suspect on the Wine Berserkers forum last Friday (20 May), before the auction. Cases and bottles of DRC, Rousseau, Yquem and Petrus were among the wines scrutinised, yet only DRC was withdrawn from the sale.

Baghera Wines has maintained from the start that the entire array of DRC wines at the sale came from the cellar of one Swiss collector; although there was more than one consignee for all the wines at the auction.

Cornwell however has stated his belief that the DRC wines in fact came from several sources not least the failed Luxembourg-based wine fund Nobles Crus, which was liquidated in 2014.

The fund was well-known for its extremely large stock of pre-1982 DRC and other fine wines, many of which were not authenticated. Cornwell noted that another auction house had apparently been offered the very same bottles last year but had turned them down because of their provenance.

The argument is that while many of the wines may have been genuine and not at all counterfeit, there have been untruthful claims made about their sourcing.

The full statement from Baghera Wines reads:

“Baghera Wines are very proud of the results of their ‘Master Cellar’ sale and, above all, of those concerning the unique collection of Romanée-Conti wines, which as could be expected, triggered much covetousness and envy.

“Prior to the sale, all the selected bottles were thoroughly inspected by Baghera Wines with unconditional scrutiny. Exceptionally, in consideration of the eminence of the collection and in regards to the rumors that have surrounded the sale, on Tuesday May 24th, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti examined every single bottle sold last Sunday — corroborating and endorsing Baghera Wines’ initial expertise.

“May all the purchasers and amateurs of the illustrious Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines bought during the Master Cellar sale enjoy them in all serenity. As a precautionary measure for their buyers, Baghera Wines had chosen to withdraw several lots from the sale for further inspection.

“Moreover, all of the wines originating from the second cellar [a consignment of Bordeaux and not including any DRC] — the property of a distinguished private Swiss collector who wishes to remain anonymous — never left the slightest doubt about their provenance. The real connoisseurs were not mistaken.

“Baghera Wines will pursue their commitments with the most prominent collectors, amateurs and fine-wine lovers.”