…Rudy is “leaning into his criminal celebrity,” the wine consultant Jeff Smith says, as a “criminal celebrity” in Asia’s wine world as a convicted felon. And he’s making deals.
“Yes, Rudy is back,” his lawyer, Jerry Mooney, tells Los Angeles . “He is being invited to dinners in Hong Kong and Singapore. Many of the people like Rudy’s blend better than the real deal.”
Mooney confirmed Kurniawan, now 51, is being hired to create fake versions of 1990 DRC Romanée-Conti and 1990 Petrus — wildly expensive vintages that usually are confined to the cellars of guys like Bill Koch, brother of conservative siblings Charles and David, and Jef Levy, producer of Ghoulies — who are all among Dr. Conti’s victims. The idea that a convicted swindler could continue to undercut the fine wine market is a hard sip to swallow for them, even if his lawyer says the men are suffering from, well, sour grapes.
“There are deals in the works,” says Mooney, reluctant to share details. “These wine snobs are offended by the fact that Rudy can do this. They are threatened by the concept that he can bring taste to a concept that they thought was only for them — like duplicating their $10,000 bottles for perhaps as little as a hundred bucks. Messing with very rich people’s hobby put Rudy in jail. Now he is using his skill in a way that will be beneficial for a larger segment of people in the wine market.”
There’s definitely going to be a market for the “Rudy reproductions”! Dude spent time in jail, he may as well get a few dinners out on that hard-won reputation as the best wine forger around. But it seems like the key ingredient of his forgeries, low-priced fruity California merlots and the like, would be much harder to get in Asia. I wouldn’t be mixing any older village Burgundy with those cheap Asian wines that feature admixtures of chemical and anti-freeze.
It’s amazing to me that one of his lawyers was quoted as saying “Many of the people like Rudy’s blend better than the real deal.” . I mean, if someone here has a palate refined enough to say that his blend tastes exactly like a DRC, I’d be tempted to order a bottle of Rudy’s Romani or whatever he’s inevitably going to call it.
“In prison, Rudy’s toilet wine - made primarily from salvaged canned peaches and catsup packets - was often passed off as vintage Grand Cru Burgundy or a fine Claret.”
Outside of the circle of wine enthusiasts, it’s not at all crazy to think someone could trade off the notion that wine enthusiasm is all bluff and bluster, and the ‘snobbery’ of wine appreciation would be easily exposed by such exploits.
On one hand this public perception is crude and bigoted, fuelled by wanting to ridicule those with the money to pursue a hobby like wine, especially at the level Rudy was operating.
On the other hand, we also fuel that perception, opining so confidently and loquaciously about tiny nuances that tell wines apart, done safely from the position of having the labels on show in front of us.
If I were Rudy, I’d bottle and promote “Rudy’s Blend”, and market it at as better tasting than wines that cost 5 or 10 times as much. The tasting notes should reference the blue chips, think 47 Cheval Blanc or name the high end Burgundy. The problem is that is that the wine will not be 47 Cheval Blanc or name the high end Burgundy. You don’t always get what you pay for.
I have always wondered how a guy as smart as Bill Koch got duped. It’s funny how he is less famous than his brothers. I suppose the importance of winning the America’s Cup is less exciting then it was in 1992.
Lots of “smart” people were duped. Bill Koch was very very smart, the only one smart enough (and wealthy enough) to pursue the matter all the way. It is said he spent over $35 million in vetting, investigating and pursuing wine fraud. Don’t forget he also took down Hardy Rodenstock over the Jefferson bottles.
if you were someone with a reputation in wine who vocally praised Rudy’s wines, which later turned out to be fakes (my understanding is there were quite a few of these people), you’d have quite an incentive to claim that Rudy was uniquely talented at blending these fakes.
If he slaps a label on the bottle that says “Rudy K. Claret. Tastes like 1945 First Growth Bordeaux”, then that’s fine. He’s not claiming it to be a wine that it isn’t. There are plenty of cigars made that state they taste like pre-embargo Cubans.
However, if he labels it “Rudy K. Claret. Tastes like 1945 Mouton”, then he gets in trouble.
. I mean, if someone here has a palate refined enough to say that his blend tastes exactly like a DRC, I’d be tempted to order a bottle of Rudy’s Romani or whatever he’s inevitably going to call it.
This is too good not to pass on