The Billionaire's Vinegar (32 page)

oversaw a $6-million collection
“Wine Cellar at the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino Now Exceeds 100,000 Bottles,”
hotel-online.com
, August 24, 1998.

largest bottle in the world
Ibid.

Wine Spectator
identified these bottles
“Jefferson’s Madeira and More Recent Wines Lead Strong New York Sale,”
WS,
July 31, 1997.

“The bouquet was extremely powerful”
Ben Killerby and Barrie Larvin, “A 200-year-old treat,” Robin Garr’s Wine Lovers Page, January 4, 2000.

“research involved our book experts”
E-mail from Sutcliffe to author, October 17, 2005.

“The origin of the Madeira was solid”
E-mail from Sutcliffe to author, October 19, 2005.

16. T
HE
L
AST
V
ERTICAL

My main textual sources for reconstructing the Yquem vertical were Per-Henrik Mansson, “Three Centuries of Château d’Yquem,”
WS,
May 15, 1999; Dennis Foley, “Hardy Rodenstock’s Château d’Yquem Tasting,”
Underground Wine Journal
17, no. 6; Jancis Robinson, “A Taste of Thomas Jefferson’s Wine,”
Los Angeles Times,
December 30, 1998; and Peter Moser, “Ein stück vom Paradies,”
Falstaff,
no. 6, 1998.

“than anyone else in the world”
“A Taste of Thomas Jefferson’s Wine,”
Los Angeles Times,
December 30, 1998.

“I was an excellent heathen”
“Famed Collector Dismantles Huge Cellar,”
WS,
January 31, 1994; “Born Again Surgeon Is at One with God, But Not with Peers,”
Wall Street Journal,
June 6, 1994.

Tawfiq Khoury
“Lots Left,”
WS,
May 15, 1997.

Lloyd Flatt
“Celebrated Collector Lloyd Flatt Rebuilds His Cellar…,”
WS,
March 31, 1995.

18,000-bottle cellar
“From the Estate of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber,”
Slate.com
, June 19, 1997.

from the cellar of Norwegian investor
“Best wine sale ever…part II,”
Times
(of London), November 17, 1999.

$14.4 million
“2006 Consolidated Results for Sotheby’s International Wine Department,”
finewinepress.com
.

“the world’s most exclusive private wine cellar”
“Wine sale of the century,”
Evening Standard
(London), August 14, 1997.

“jammy wonder” “the Cairo spice bazaar”
“Pretentiousness? It’s poetic license,”
The Independent
(London), September 30, 1998.

“I find that there is a chemistry”
“A cheeky little whine from Christie’s,”
Daily Telegraph,
September 29, 1998.

“pre-revolutionary bouquet”
Jancis Robinson,
Tasting Pleasure
(New York: Penguin, 1989), 177.

definitive studies
Richard Olney,
Yquem
(Boston: Godine, 1986); Nicholas Faith,
Château Margaux
(New York: Vendome Press, 1991).

held forth in Cantonese
“Restrainers cut loose with vintage display,”
South China Morning Post
(Hong Kong), November 19, 1998.

“[I]t is crazy, really”
“A Taste of Thomas Jefferson’s Wine,”
Los Angeles Times,
December 30, 1998.

“the deepest of deep browns”
Ibid.

Moise Pe’er
“What’s an inauguration party without a little nosh?”,
Jerusalem Post,
January 20, 1997.

“one or two” left
“A Taste of Thomas Jefferson’s Wine,”
Los Angeles Times,
December 30, 1998.

“The journalists have written so much nonsense”
Fax from Rodenstock to author, July 22, 2005.

“a couple of half bottles”
“The World’s Wildest Collector,”
WS,
December 15, 1988.

a late-1992 interview
“The Mystery of the 1787 Lafite,”
Decanter,
October 1992.

17. K
OCH
B
OTTLES

I was helped, in telling Bill Koch’s story, by three articles in particular: Bryan Burrough, “Wild Bill Koch,”
Vanity Fair,
June 1994; Ryan Isaac, “Oil, Water, and Wine,”
WS,
November 15, 2005; and Ted Loos, “Raising America’s Cup,”
WS,
August 31, 1996.

to Steve Martin, the actor
“A Pedigree with Pull,”
NYT,
November 9, 2001.

“given the Forbes provenance”
Ibid.

over the objections of Kip
“Forbes Dynasty Split by £25M Art Sale,”
Sunday Times
(United Kingdom), January 26, 2003; “Forbes Unloads Treasures,”
New York Daily News,
February 19, 2003. Forbes denies that he objected to the sale.

“Spotting Fakes” Forbes,
December 24, 2001.

“In Vino Falsitas”
forbes.com
, May 26, 2003.

“Château Faux”
forbes.com
, June 19, 2006.

had turned out to be a forgery
“Fake Art Moves from Gallery to Internet,”
Maine Antique Digest,
July 2000.

“Blunders of the World” Times
(of London), August 20, 2005.

“We are ready to set the record”
“Auctions,”
NYT,
January 11, 1991.

which had gotten its estimate
“The Adventures of an Incorrigible Hypemeister in the Wine Trade,”
New York Observer,
November 21, 1994.

he had lowered its valuation
“We Hear…,”
New York Post,
September 11, 2002.

“to help raise money for tsunami relief”
“1787 Bordeaux Reserve Up for Bid to Aid Tsunami Relief,” AScribe Newswire, January 28, 2005.

red outsold white
A.C. Nielsen data, cited by the Wine Institute, April 5, 2005.

Wine Spectator’s
paid circulation
“Wine Spectator Celebrates 30 Years,”
WS,
April 30, 2006.

a circulation of 250,000
“Cigar Aficionado Rolls Blunt Jordan Interview,”
Folio,
July 13, 2005.

Despite having pruned his cellar
“Unlocking the Cellar, Quenching the Thirst,”
NYT,
May 2, 1999.

Latour at his third wedding
“28-Story Mast to Be Visible for Miles,”
Palm Beach Post,
February 20, 2005.

while admitting he hadn’t read many
“Unlocking the Cellar…,”
NYT,
May 2, 1999.

saw a couples therapist
“Lowlife Behavior Alleged in Palm Beach Divorce,”
Palm Beach Post,
October 24, 2000.

checking into rehab
“How Angela Outslicked Oilman Ex,”
New York Post,
February 20, 2001.

hired a team of MIT scientists
“Captain America 3,”
Sports Illustrated,
April 20, 1992.

promised to include at least one
“Koch at the MFA,” Greater Boston TV, August 9, 2005.

“My brother Charles collects money”
“Shopping with William I. Koch,”
NYT,
February 5, 2004.

18. G
HOST
P
ARTICLES

thirteen silver decadrachms
“Turkey, Investors Fighting Over Ancient Coins,” APWorldstream, February 14, 1994.

“bought a Mercedes”
“The Case of the Contested Coins,”
NYT,
September 24, 1998.

in exchange for a plaque
“People,”
International Herald Tribune,
March 6, 1999.

subpoenaed his eighty-two-year-old mother
“The Curse on the Koch Brothers,”
Fortune,
February 17, 1997.

When he had expelled his mistress
“Koch Kiss-Off: Hi, I love you—you’re evicted,”
Boston Globe,
October 18, 1995.

“[threatening] to beat his whole family”
“Lowlife Behavior Alleged in Palm Beach Divorce,”
Palm Beach Post,
October 24, 2000; “The Things Bill Koch Really Loves,”
Boston Globe,
August 9, 2005.

restraining order
Ibid.

willingness to introspect in public
“Wild Bill Koch,”
Vanity Fair,
June 1994.

“X-rated Protestant princess”
“Eviction Style of Very Rich Titillates Boston,”
Philadelphia Inquirer,
November 23, 1995.

“My body parts are like moist orchids”
“Look who’s talking dirty,”
Sunday Times
(London), December 3, 1995.

Alex Beam was especially caustic
“The Things Bill Koch Really Loves,”
Boston Globe,
August 9, 2005; “Koch Kiss-Off: Hi, I love you—you’re evicted,”
Boston Globe,
October 18, 1995.

With Koch talking about a lawsuit
“Libel in the Air?”,
Boston Phoenix,
September 13, 2005.

groveling editor’s note Boston Globe,
September 22, 2005.

“would make
Dallas
and
Dynasty” “Build Your Own Playpen,”
New England Business,
September 1988.

private detectives and wiretaps
“Wild Bill Koch,”
Vanity Fair,
June 1994.

stolen garbage bags
“Captain America 3,”
Sports Illustrated,
April 20, 1992.

“perhaps the nastiest family feud”
“The Curse on the Koch Brothers,”
Fortune,
February 17, 1997.

blew the whistle on their alleged theft
Ibid.

“You just can’t get a good bottle of wine”
“The Jefferson Bottles,”
The New Yorker,
September 3 & 10, 2007.

had programmed his cell phone to ring
Ibid.

A lower-tech exam
“Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,”
Wall Street Journal,
September 1, 2006; “Entkorkt! Der grosse Weinschwindel,”
Stern,
no. 12 (2007).

Elroy had been running his fingers
“The Jefferson Bottles,”
The New Yorker,
September 3 & 10, 2007.

19. T
AILING
M
EINHARD

a ham-fisted play
“Wild Bill Koch,”
Vanity Fair,
June 1994.

“a very impressive fake”
Complaint,
William I. Koch vs. Hardy Rodenstock,
United States District Court, Southern District of New York, 11.

although Forbes wanted to
Author interview with Brad Goldstein, September 1, 2006.

20. T
HE
F
INISH

Gisbert appeared to share Welt am Sonntag,
May 21, 2000; “Jahrgang gehört auf Kapsel,”
Vinum,
no. 9 (2004).

Koch’s investigators interviewed
…
Tina York
“The Jefferson Bottles,”
The New Yorker,
September 3 & 10, 2007.

spent more than $1 million
“Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,”
Wall Street Journal,
September 1, 2006.

Rodenstock said that even if the bottles were fake
Ibid.

He said he had bought the bottles without
“World’s most expensive bottle claimed fake as renowned collector sued,”
decanter.com
, September 6, 2006.

Rodenstock bought one
E-mail from Ulrich Sautter to author, October 10, 2006.

“a neurotic maniac”
E-mail from Mario Scheuermann to author, September 4, 2006.

“The oak tree is not concerned”
“Wer ist die Flasche” (caption),
Bunte,
no. 40 (2006).

“I should perhaps have smelled a rat”
“Rodenstock accused,”
jancisrobinson.com
, September 6, 2006.

now stated that he had always been skeptical
“Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,”
Wall Street Journal,
September 1, 2006.

“Our position…is that we made it clear”
E-mail from Browett to author, September 6, 2006.

“I don’t think that anyone would have bought”
E-mail from Browett to author, December 7, 2005.

“Looking back, more questions”
“Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,”
Wall Street Journal,
September 1, 2006.

“among whose number I am lucky to count myself”
JMB,
Vintage Wine,
110.

“we can confirm that the engraving”
Fax from JMB to author, November 14, 2006.

a Christie’s spokesman disavowed
E-mail from Toby Usnik to author, November 14, 2006.

“cathartic”
“Comments on the Rodenstock Affair,”
jancisrobinson.com
, September 7, 2006.

“fortune and some visionary wine men”
“The power of one,”
Decanter,
May 1, 2001.

Sotheby’s had pulled ahead
“2005 Wine Auctions Exceed $166 Million,”
winespectator.com
, December 22, 2005.

“
molecular
”
and
“
chemical
”
analysis
“Most extensive collection of Chateau Lafite to be tested prior to sale,”
decanter.com
, April 23, 2007.

A University of Bordeaux study
Frédéric Brochet, “Tasting: Chemical Object Representation in the Field of Consciousness,” 2002.

whom Koch misidentified
“Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,”
Wall Street Journal,
September 1, 2006.

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

I could not have written this book without the help of the small club of men who have bought or sold Jefferson bottles. Kip Forbes gamely brought the 1985 auction back to life for me and provided access to the Forbes curatorial files on the 1787 Lafite. Michael Broadbent gave indispensable and charming assistance over several years, answering and reanswering questions he tired of long ago and forthrightly opening his files to me. Bill Sokolin was candid, good-humored, and always receptive. Marvin Shanken, amid an audacious cigar-smoke haze in his Manhattan office, obliged me by sharing his auction war stories. Bill Koch provided enlightenment over lunch in Palm Beach, and I am especially thankful to Brad Goldstein, in his office, who was a worthy notes-trader as we pursued parallel investigations. Hardy Rodenstock, an elusive and enigmatic subject, kept things interesting; I never knew where his next fax would come from, and he always kept me guessing with his spirited correspondence.

Pursuing the story of the Jefferson bottles was a pleasurably far-flung endeavor, and so is acknowledging the many other people who aided my quest:

I
N
G
ERMANY
: Many thanks to Mario Scheuermann in Hamburg, for opening doors and wines, and to Walter Eigensatz in Wiesbaden, for his hospitality and candor. In Munich, Yeter Göksu, Norbert Menzel, and Manfred Wolf explained the complexities of radiometric dating. From Berlin, Hans-Horst Bethge assisted with legwork. I also thank Fedor Brunner, Ralf Frenzel, Hans-Peter Frericks, Madeleine Jakits, Hanns O. Janssen, Otto Jung, Petra and Andreas Klein, Monika Krupski, Ulrich Sautter, Emmy Scherrer, Jack Schiffer, Bodo Schlosshan, Toni Viehhauser, Karl-Heinz Wolf, Heinz-Gert Woschek, and Andreas Zielcke.

I
N
E
NGLAND
: Simon Woodroffe, a true wine lover, generously shared his home, company, cooking, cellar, and
Decanter
subscription during a two-month research stay in London. For interviews and other help, I owe thanks to Stephen Brook, Stephen Browett, Jim Budd, Patrick Grubb, Tom Higham, Ben Howkins, Malcolm Kimmins, Tim Littler, David Molyneux-Berry, Adrian Monck, Stephen Mould, Jancis Robinson, Maggie Rosen, Sam Sandbach, Steven Spurrier, Serena Sutcliffe, Jess White, and Amy Wislocki. Other people who helped me feel at home in England include Belinda Carruthers, Michael and Sheila Furth, Bridgie and Richard Griffiths, Linda Gummery, Maureen and Walter Marlowe, and Christopher Wickham and Diego Choi.

I
N
B
ORDEAUX
: Christian Moueix and Paul Pontallier graciously had me to lunch in the middle of the harvest, and Alexandre de Lur Saluces did the same on a bleakly beautiful January day in Sauternes. Philippe Hubert and Bernard Medina let me into their “garage” and, with great patience and good humor, showed me their high-tech wine-dating tools. Thanks also to Murielle Andraud, Laurent Barbier, Martin Both, René Lambert, Alain Puginier, and Jean-Luc Thunevin. Elsewhere in France, Fabian Cobb was warmly encouraging.

I
N
S
WITZERLAND
: Wolfgang Grünewald was especially hospitable and helpful, as was Franz Wermuth. Thanks also to Rudolf Knoll, Bruno Künzle, and Raphael Mullis.

I
N
A
USTRIA
: Georg Riedel in Kufstein, Klaus Wagner in the Wachau, and Adi Werner in the Arlberg showed me by their hospitable examples why Hardy Rodenstock has thrown so many of his tastings in their beautiful country. August Winkler was an obliging interviewee.

E
LSEWHERE
: I received help, remotely, from Jeannie Cho Lee in Hong Kong, Nachshon Sneh in Israel, and Ben Ami Fihman in Venezuela.

I
N THE
U
NITED
S
TATES
: Dan Jordan welcomed me to Monticello, and Cinder Stanton was good natured in explicating her 1985 investigation. I am grateful to Dennis Foley for sending me a very rare complete set of the handsome, short-lived newsletter
Rarities.
At the University of California at Davis, Vernon Singleton and Andrew Waterhouse helped me to understand how wine ages. I owe thanks to Salma Abdelnour and Dana Cowin, at
Food & Wine,
for some timely assignments that helped broaden my knowledge of wine. David Black and Gary Morris provided early encouragement and advice. A number of other people, many of them wine merchants, auctioneers, collectors, and journalists, gave me essential interviews and other help. They include Michael Aaron, Mark Bravin, John Brincko, Bartholomew Broadbent, Alyson Careaga, James Climan, Chris Coover, Bipin Desai, Jim Elroy, Russell Frye, Eric Greenberg, Robert W. Hutton, Wilf Jaeger, Richard Johnson, John Kapon, Bonnie Kirschstein, Frank Komorowski, Andy Lawlor, Edward Lazarus, Edward Lollis, Russell Martin, Tom Matthews, Elin McCoy, Janice McManus, Peter Meltzer, Peter and Roberta Morrell, Julian Niccolini, Robert M. Parker Jr., Frank Prial, Sam Santarelli, Peter M. F. Sichel, Dave Sokolin, Gloria Sokolin, John Tilson, Margaret Kelly Trombly, Geoffrey Troy, Toby Usnik, Len Yablon, Jeff Zacharia, and, in Vancouver, Albert Givton.

Many thanks to the staffs of the British Library, the Cambridge University Library, the Hauptbibliothek Geisenheim, the Jefferson Library of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, the Peter J. Shields Library at the University of California at Davis, the New York Public Library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania, and to Fritz Blank, whose remarkable culinary collection is now part of Penn’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

I am lucky to have found, in Larry Weissman, a literary agent who is a passionate reader, fierce advocate, and steadfast advisor. He was a true partner in the making of this book. Many thanks also to Sascha Alper, for her enthusiasm, good judgment, and hard work.

At Crown, I am grateful especially to the three talented editors I was privileged to work with, each of whom made the book better: Annik LaFarge, whose enthusiasm was inspiring, and who very generously read the manuscript and gave valuable criticism; Luke Dempsey, who provided sound counsel during much of the reporting and writing; and Rachel Klayman, who saw the book through to completion with a rare mix of intelligence, rigor, and restraint. Many thanks also for the warmth, attention, and support of Steve Ross, Kristin Kiser, Tina Constable, Jenny Frost, and the whole team at Crown, including Christine Aronson, Mary Choteborsky, Whitney Cookman, Lauren Dong, Linda Kaplan, Min Lee, Courtney Morrow, Donna Passannante, Philip Patrick, Robert Siek, and David Wade Smith.

Several other people who helped bring this book to fruition are: Jennie Dorris, who checked facts with admirable professionalism and persistence; Lawrence Schofer, who eloquently and efficiently translated German-language documents; Jamie Pastor Bolnick, who transcribed some interviews; Victor Fiorillo, a skilled computer researcher; Dan Shimberg, who came to the occasional technological rescue; and Peter Jones, who keeps Fear the Fro, Inc., solvent.

In Philadelphia, the multitalented David Fields is a treasured friend and advisor, who has taught me a lot about wine, among other things. Cary Borish and his family generously gave me a place to write. I received encouragement, tutorials, collegial support, and other help from Buzz Bissinger, Michael Bloom, Joanne Buzzetta, Amy Donohue, Jason Fagone, Bob Huber, David Lipson, Herb Lipson, Chris McDougall, Pat McGovern, Marnie Old, Shola Olunloyo, Michael and Jenny Raphael, Dan Rubin, Rich Rys, Deborah Scoblionkov, Mark Squires, and Amy Strauss. Thanks also to everyone at La Colombe, one of the world’s best coffee shops and my second office for many years.

Larry Platt, a great friend, generous colleague, and early believer in this project, read the manuscript and gave helpful criticism, as did Sasha Issenberg, to whom I also owe my agent and who was the closest thing to a coworker as I labored on this book. Two other gifted friends and colleagues who made the considerable effort to read a draft of the manuscript and helped improve it are Max Potter and Mike Steinberger.

I am grateful to Lois Wallace and Tom Wallace, who have both been longtime supporters.

Many thanks to my parents, Daphne and Don Wallace, and my sisters Alexandra and Sarah, for their enduring love and support.

Jessica Pressler lived with this project for more than two years. She was understanding of its demands, gave constant support, and with her unerring nose for the fraudulent was an invaluable reader of the manuscript. I am so grateful for her love.