Fake Pinot Noir: Constellation the other US buyer

Genuine Pinot Noir, Sancerre, October 2008

It has now emerged that Constellation was the other US company which bought the fake Pinot Noir.

This is reported in the Independant (Perpignan):

'Ce négociant (referring to Ducasse) avait fait passer d'autres cépages pour du pinot et avait revendu ce vin à la société de commercialisation "Sieur d'Arques" qui, en bout de chaîne, le livrait aux Etats-Unis, en particulier au groupe américain E&J Gallo.

'Gallo n'était probablement pas le seul destinataire. Le groupe indiquait mercredi soir qu'il avait "importé moins de 20% du total" de ce faux pinot noir. En outre, un passage du jugement indique que la société Sieur d'Arques était "détentrice d'un marché important avec les clients américains de la cave (les société Gallo et Constellation), portant sur une quantité significative" de cépage Pinot. Constellation, propriétaire de Mondavi, est numéro un mondial du vin.'

Also in the Wall Street Journal:

'Constellation Confirms Pinot Noir Purchase

Constellation Brands Inc. confirmed Thursday that it purchased pinot noir from a French supplier involved in a massive scheme to sell a phony version of the wine variety, but the company said it believes the product it bought was genuine.

Constellation, the world's largest wine producer by sales, said it 'purchased pinot noir from Sieur d'Arques between 2006 and 2008.'


The WSJ also reported that Constellation said that the wine 'was tested internally after the French court case began and found to be pinot noir'.

If Constellation bought the remaining 80% of the fake Pinot Noir or a significant proportion, then it would seem unlikely that it was all genuine Pinot Noir, although some of it may well have been genuine Merlot or Syrah. However, if Constellation's internal testing procedure is correct and what they bought was Pinot Noir (it does rather depend upon what vintage they tested), the mystery still remains – who bought the remaining 80% fake Pinot Noir.