Premier Cru sued over undelivered wine

Premier Cru, the Berkeley wine merchant with a strong online presence as well as a fancy storefront on University Ave, is (finally?) being sued for non delivery of wine futures.

People in online wine forums have been complaining about Premier Cru for a long time, over ten years if I recall correctly. When they were in Emeryville, they did have a great bargain-bin, but last time I visited in Berkeley it wasn’t there.

Maybe next time the buyers will find their way to K&L.

This is a post I also made to FTC:

There is a 65 (Yup! 65!) page topic (on Wineberserkers) that has been going on about Premier Cru for a very long time. It’s had its staunch defenders and lots of critics, mostly about how long it takes to get what you order (futures take time, but PC seems excessive to lots of people, and customer service opinions vary widely). I’ve never been there or done business with them, but this latest development is coupled with more basic issues about the business itself that make things much more concerning. It’s never a good thing when a long-time business has problems, and this one’s supporters are very strong in their support, making it all the more difficult to assess.

Jason, this place is in your hood too … right?

I think that Berserkers topic began back when the Robert Parker boards were still public, before Beserkers spun itself off. I don’t know how they lasted this long.

The owner pled guilty to fraud yesterday. This recap of the court proceedings is revealing.

His attorney says:
“John Fox is devastated by what has happened. He is sorry. He acknowledges he is guilty. He’s hurt his customers and the people who trusted him. He has ruined himself [and hurt] his wife, his daughter and a whole bunch of family members.”

But the article concludes with:
No friends or family appeared in the San Francisco courtroom to support Fox.

2 Likes

Wow, that is amazing. I knew nothing about this but I can’t wait for the TV movie.