After getting two further calls from overseas SQN collectors, I decided to post something here after speaking to 10-12 other major SQN collectors and getting their views.
There are a number of brokers representing a certain individual (to be clear, this is not Matt or anybody representing Matt) trying to offload bottles, mags and double mags of the 2002 Rudy Matt Cuvee for US$50,000, US$100,000 and US$250,000 respectively. No issues with the brokers doing what they do, but a bit of background is relevant. This is being pitched as the rarest ever SQN and a load of other bullshit sales spiel. Whether it is or it isn’t, I don’t know, sales spiel is sales spiel. I am assuming most people here are aware the Rudy (of Rudy Matt) is Rudy Kurniawan, a wine collector and convicted perpetrator of wine fraud. I have no idea whether these wines contain the original wine supplied by SQN or not, and I am certainly not saying they do or they don’t. What is more relevant is that SQN refuse to verify these wines, and as we all know, in collectable wine, provenance is very important.
What I do know is that none of the collectors I have spoken to will ever pay close to that price for those bottles, so buying them hoping to flip them to the likes of us would be very difficult. Having personally spoken to the individual selling them, and twice giving me wildly differing accounts, he is not somebody I would personally trust when it comes to buying expensive wines.
Just so you know, there was at one time a special Hospice du Rhone lot of SQN that was offered up at the HdR auction. Rudy and Matt were the successful bidders on that lot, and the label read Rudy Matt cuvee:
The auction was in 2002, and the vintage on the bottle was 2001 (not 2002). In any event, the Rudy Matt cuvee was a special bottling that did in fact exist, but whether what is presently being offered for sale are authentic bottles is another matter entirely.
Hi Bruce, you are correct 2001 not 2002, my typo. I am aware there was a lot sold. I spoke to Manfred about this when I visited him last year in Ventura and he told me the story as to how they sent the labels separately to them after the auction.
I think the fact that they sent a barrel of wine out with separate labels makes the whole resale of the wine suspect. Looking at the pictures of the wine in bottle it looks like the purchasers of the barrel may have used the SQN’s bottler and labels as they look similar to normal SQN bottles. But the fact of the wine leaving the premises in barrel makes it impossible to track. Then you have the wine changing hands unknown times from someone who is known to have been shady in the past. It’s one of those situations where most people will want to stay away from, especially at such a high price tag.
Ron,
The way I read it, they bottled and shipped the wines, but shipped the labels after. The later part being odd as to why they would do so as shipping out a shiner isn’t allowed IIRC.
Interesting to follow- what is the price that a collector would pay for scarcity value to round out a collection when the scarce wine cannot be verified and all of the supply was in the hands of a person convicted of massive wine fraud?
Alot of elements of human nature at play here but if you pay 42k for a bottle of skunked Rose, why the hell not buy the outlaw wine as you aren’t doing for the drinking experience anyway? Taking it a step further, aren’t one-off flawed collectibles often worth more anyway?? Quick, let’s go buy it!
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still people whether rich or not should still be provided with accurate information.
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Rudy!