10 bottles of '88 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

[DAVID_GIBBS]

I wouldn’t judge much based on the color of a cell phone pic on the interweb. I’ve snapped dozens of pictures with my phone where the color of the photo isn’t anywhere near what it is in actuality.
Weird lighting, dirty lens, shadows…you name it.

[CFu]

@R@y.Tupp@+sch

@C Fu

@Jorge Henriquez

I’ve never really understood, or gotten, coffee notes on aged Champagne (or any white wine for that matter).

You do when it’s seen heat. I can see why it smells like coffee, the smell I get borders closely to the smell of a coffee filter when I have heat damaged champagne.

Properly stored 40+ yo DP has absolutely has notes of coffee; and along with chocolate, is a signature. Nothing to do with heat damage.
That said, if the color of the Pol Roger SWC is representative in that picture, then I don’t think it was properly stored.

You’re right. I should have been specific! Dom definitely throws off coffee notes. Any other of the major houses do the same ray?

Just had the 88 Winston two weeks. No coffee but a fantastic bottle of champagne

[CFu]

@Corey Miller

1988 Pol Roger Sparkling, Champagne | WineBid

1988 Pol Roger Sparkling, Champagne | WineBid

I don’t think mark has ever been shy about him putting his stuff on winebid. He even linked some of them before (Bouchard Monty). Can’t fault a guy for making a buck. Probably could fault winebid though

[ybarselah]

Gotta love the updated provenance description on the lots…

Removed from a subcompact trunk; Purchased at retail a few weeks ago; Consignor is a troll.

[Mark_B]

@ybarselah

Gotta love the updated provenance description on the lots…

Removed from a subcompact trunk; Purchased at retail a few weeks ago; Consignor is a troll.

Hey, that’s complete and utter slander. To set the record straight: I drive a Civic coupe that is classified as a compact car.

[John_Danza]

@C Fu

@Jorge Henriquez

I’ve never really understood, or gotten, coffee notes on aged Champagne (or any white wine for that matter).

You do when it’s seen heat. I can see why it smells like coffee, the smell I get borders closely to the smell of a coffee filter when I have heat damaged champagne.

+1

The wine in the photo doesn’t look healthy for an '88.

[Chris_Seiber]

I hope that isn’t Mark’s lot for sale, since it says “Consignor is original owner.”

[CFu]

@Chris Seiber

I hope that isn’t Mark’s lot for sale, since it says “Consignor is original owner.”

to be lawyer specific.

The argument can be made that the SWC has been at this same location since it was first distributed. So when Mark bought them, he was the first and original owner from retail.

[Taylor_Broussard]

@Chris Seiber

I hope that isn’t Mark’s lot for sale, since it says “Consignor is original owner.”

Well - I don’t suppose we can consider the retailer to be an owner in these cases. I suppose it’s just very rare for such a bottle to be unowned for a couple decades. Almost no doubt that they’re his though. 10 bottles in the trunk, 8 bottles on Wine Bid, one drunk very recently and one supposedly on deck for a friend’s birthday “later this month”.

[John_Danza]

@Taylor Broussard

@Chris Seiber

I hope that isn’t Mark’s lot for sale, since it says “Consignor is original owner.”

Well - I don’t suppose we can consider the retailer to be an owner in these cases. I suppose it’s just very rare for such a bottle to be unowned for a couple decades. Almost no doubt that they’re his though. 10 bottles in the trunk, 8 bottles on Wine Bid, one drunk very recently and one supposedly on deck for a friend’s birthday “later this month”.

If that’s the case, I need to reconsider the buying I’ve been doing on Winebid. I’ve had good luck until now, but I would think that someone his age saying they’re the original owner of a 26 year old bottle of wine would raise a question. Winebid is local out here in Elmhurst, so I’m making the assumption he would deal with the guy there instead of shipping them to Napa.

[Taylor_Broussard]

@John Danza

If that’s the case, I need to reconsider the buying I’ve been doing on Winebid. I’ve had good luck until now, but I would think that someone his age saying they’re the original owner of a 26 year old bottle of wine would raise a question. Winebid is local out here in Elmhurst, so I’m making the assumption he would deal with the guy there instead of shipping them to Napa.

I think the way that Mark goes about acquiring and selling wine is a bit unique. I’m pretty sure he’s hitting up mom and pop stores that don’t have an electronic inventory and buying wines that haven’t been re-listed in price over the years. I’m sure it happens, but pretty rarely.

[Chris_Seiber]

@Taylor Broussard

@Chris Seiber

I hope that isn’t Mark’s lot for sale, since it says “Consignor is original owner.”

Well - I don’t suppose we can consider the retailer to be an owner in these cases. I suppose it’s just very rare for such a bottle to be unowned for a couple decades. Almost no doubt that they’re his though. 10 bottles in the trunk, 8 bottles on Wine Bid, one drunk very recently and one supposedly on deck for a friend’s birthday “later this month”.

I get it now. I didn’t realize they came from a retailer that (supposedly at least) owned them ever since release.

[Chris_Freemott]

Is this enough to get one placed on ignore?

[jdietz]

I do note that Mark is not denying that those are his bottles on WineBid.

I will read between the lines a little more closely on WineBid in the future.

[rfelthoven]

I realize the “troll” comment may have been made in jest, but do you consider this trolling (posting a new thread about a wine and giving it 93 points after (it seems) he put it up on Winebid)?

[Mark_B]

@rfelthoven

I realize the “troll” comment may have been made in jest, but do you consider this trolling (posting a new thread about a wine and giving it 93 points after (it seems) he put it up on Winebid)?

My scores are always a reflection of how much I enjoy a wine. The bottles went to auction last night; long after my tasting note was posted. Also, I was not the one who posted the link to the auction.

[Mel_Hill]

This thread should be moved to the CC

and yea, this could easily be a reason to add to the ignore list.

[zachary_l_a_n_g]

I think the thread should be left here as a warning about what people send to WineBid

Morally, a call should be placed to winebid by the original poster stating he is concerned about the condition of the wine

[George_Hejna]

@zachary l a n g

I think the thread should be left here as a warning about what people send to WineBid

Morally, a call should be placed to winebid by the original poster stating he is concerned about the condition of the wine

Good idea on keeping the thread here.

If the OP called winebid.com he couldn’t continue his M.O. of ripping people off.

George

[Chris_Seiber]

Now hold on a second. In what sense is Mark “concerned about the condition of the wine?” As far as he’s told us, these wines have sat in a dark cellar until he recently purchased them, so that counts at good storage condition (it’s not as though wine has to have been at 55 degrees in a Eurocave unit all its life in order to be considered good enough to resell). And he tasted a bottle and liked it, as far as we know.

The only concerns stem from other people thinking the color looked on the darker side based on one cell phone photo, and him using one descriptor in a TN that he considered a positive but other people think might be a sign up suboptimal storage. I’m not sure that means he needs to issue some warning to buyers based on a few other people on an internet message board expressing those opinions.

Are we overreacting a bit here?