Michael Broadbent Sues Over Billionaire's Vinegar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jul 28th 2009 at 7:01PM

If, like me, you enjoyed the The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, a book on the infamous Jefferson wine bottles, you might be interested to know that one of the key players in the book, wine writer and auctioneer Michael Broadbent, is now suing Random House for defamation of character. Decanter reports that Broadbent is suing for libel in the UK where the book is now available. It came out in May 2008.

The book tells the story of German collector Hardy Rodenstock who had allegedly found rare bottles of Chateau Lafite walled up in a basement in Paris. An 1787 Lafite engraved Th:J sparked worldwide interest because it was thought that Jefferson had bought the bottled when he was in Paris serving as ambassador. Three of the bottles were sold at Christie's, where Broadbent worked, between 1985 and 1987 including the the 1787 Lafite which was bought by Malcolm Forbes for $156,450 fin a 1985 auction.

The billionaire in the title is William Koch who is suing Rodenstock claiming that he was the source for four Jefferson bottles that Koch bought in 1988. Those bottles are now believed to be fake. Rodenstock has said that the bottles were genuine but has not submitted them for testing. The Billionaire's Vinegar goes into fascinating detail on the ways the bottles might have been faked but ends on a rather soft note simply because lawsuits related to the case are ongoing.

Broadbent's lawsuit says that Benjamin Wallace accuses him of inventing a bid for the half-bottle of 1784 Margaux to boost bidding and implies that he may have colluded with Rodenstock. The 82-year-old wine expert says the book has wrecked his reputation. In the book he does come off as rather eager to believe in Rodenstock's story but for a wine expert to have an opportunity to taste vintages of such great age the temptation must have been very great. Random House has said it will defend the book. Movie rights have already been snapped up.

Tags: billionaires vinegar, BillionairesVinegar, hardy rodenstock, HardyRodenstock, michael broadbent, MichaelBroadbent, wine, wine fraud, WineFraud

Filed under: Wine

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

bbroadbent Jul 29th 2009 10:22AM

Bartholomew Broadbent
This isn't anything new...it happens that is was reported in the tabloid press last week but the decision to sue was taken as soon as the book went on sale in the UK, well over a year ago. In the book, numerous mistakes, misleading statements and quotes go against the more strict British laws that protect individuals from libel and defamation of character. Sadly, magazines like the National Enquirer exist in America because the laws relating to libel and defamation are very weak. The movie makers will have to think twice about releasing the film in the UK, if they use real names and follow the book's story line.

bbroadbent Oct 13th 2009 11:51PM

My father has won his lawsuit.
The press release reads:
The libel action centred on the book The Billionaire’s Vinegar, the subject of which was the provenance of a number of bottles of wine said to have been owned by Thomas Jefferson. The book made allegations which suggested that Mr Broadbent had behaved in an unprofessional manner in the way in which he had auctioned some of these bottles and that his relationship and dealings with Hardy Rodenstock, who discovered the original collection, was suspected of being improper.

In a statement read out in open court today, Random House apologised unreservedly for making the allegations and accepted that they were untrue. It has given an undertaking not to repeat the allegations and paid Mr Broadbent undisclosed damages.

Commenting on the settlement Sarah Webb, head of Russell Jones & Walker’s Defamation department, who acted for Mr Broadbent said:

“The Billionaire’s Vinegar made highly damaging claims about my client that seriously compromised both his professional and personal reputation. We are delighted that Random House has today accepted that these allegations are totally without foundation and avoided the need to proceed to a full trial. My client is relieved that the good name he has built up over many years as one of the country’s leading wine experts has been fully restored.”