New York
wine collectors sue Charlie Trotter, accusing him of selling a counterfeit
bottle of wine
Source:
Chicago Tribune
By P.J.
Huffstutter
June
13, 2013
The
famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter has been sued for allegedly selling two wine
collectors from New York a big, bogus bottle of wine.
According
to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Chicago, Bekim and Ilir Frrokaj
paid more than $46,200 last June for what they thought was a magnum of 1945
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from Trotter's Michelin-starred restaurant.
Trotter
closed his restaurant last August, citing a desire to travel and to study
philosophy, and as part of the closure made plans to sell thousands of bottles
from his restaurant's wine collection. This drew interest from wine aficionados
who admired the restaurant's collection of Bordeaux and cabernets.
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"During
dinner, Charlie Trotter and the sommelier explained the rarity and value of the
DRC magnum to Benn and Ilir," according to the court filing. "Charlie
Trotter and the sommelier also spoke about wines from the Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti estate and how those wines are some of the rarest and most
valuable in the world."
But the
Frrokajs contend this was not true, and that it was only when they tried to
have the bottle insured that they learned from a consultant that it was
counterfeit.
Trotter
could not immediately be reached for comment. It was not immediately clear
whether he hired a lawyer for his defense.
According
to the complaint, when consultant Maureen Downey met with estate co-owner
Aubert de Villain, he stated "Domaine de la Romanee-Conti only produced
small yields in 1945 and as a result did not produce any large format
magnum-size bottles."
The lawsuit
accuses Trotter and his former restaurant of violating federal and state
consumer laws, and seeks $75,000 in damages. Efforts to recover without going
to court proved unsuccessful, the plaintiffs' lawyer John Auchter said
Thursday.
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