1. Home
  2. General Wine Forum
  3. Glen Ellen Wine ???

Glen Ellen Wine ???

Howdy:

I just got a case of Glen Ellen Cabernet. As I pulled the 750 ml bottles out of the box I noticed someting unusual about the labels. Looking closer I noted that there was one label upon another. I pulled off the topmost label, Cabernet 2001, to find a label for Merlot 2002 underneath!

After a bit of detective work I found the number for customer service at Wine Group Inc. handling issues concerning Glen Ellen (whom they bought out). Customer service person in a recording said to leave a detailed message and that she would get back to me in a couple of days.

Anyone have comments on the practice of putting a label for Cabernet over a label for Merlot... besides backdating the vintage a year?

Sincerely, Tom

Reply to
Tom
Loading thread data ...

My first thought would be that it was a mistake on the bottling line. While I've never seen such, I imagine that it could happen. OTOH, I'd guess that

2001 Cab might bring a tad more at retail. Have you contacted your retailer? Have you tasted a bottle to try and ascertain what grape it contains? Admittedly, from a producer such as Glen Ellen, a 3 yo Cab MIGHT taste a bit like a 2 yo Merlot. Good luck, and let us know what the distributor/new owner says about the labels.

Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

Thank you for your comments.

Yes, it might be a bottling mistake. When I took the bottles out of the box the first thing I noticed was the odd label. They were wrinkled (not flat on the bottle), cocked from the vertical, and it wasn't the regular label design (larger size) that I had been familar with. The label at the rear showed the same characteristics. As I was going through the bottles I noticed part of one label underneath another. That's when I pulled off the topmost label and saw the one underneath. The topmost label is composed of paper that seems to be thicker, has an adhesive backing (similar to a Post-it), and is about 1/4" to 3/8" larger all around; the same applies to the one at the rear. If my memory serves correctly, this larger label might be the same one that is currently being put on the 1.5 L bottles. At first glance, judging by the crude placement and alignment of the label, one might even suppose that the label was put on by hand. All bottles in the case are similarly configrured.

I suspect I will return the case, then again, it would be a novelty to serve the wine with the label peeled back to expose the one underneath!

Sincerely, Tom

Reply to
Tom

Now, if they had only printed the logo upside down, or something! I can see this puppy fetching great sums on e-bay :-} If nothing else, think of the "oh, shit" moment, when someone in packaging noticed the mistake, if that is what it was. Boss, ehr boss, we've got a problem... remember those 40,000 bottles of Cab we just ran? Well, guess what...

Let us know how it goes, Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.