Provenance Guarantee & Bottle Conditions

Provenance Guarantee

Our inventory is crafted through multiple channels, including private cellars, reputable wholesalers, and producers alike. We only purchase bottles that can be verified to have been stored in ideal cellar conditions and that have proper provenance. Then, our representatives carefully inspect each bottle that comes into our warehouse. We stand behind every bottle that we sell, but if you open something within six months of the purchase date and it is flawed due to improper storage, we ask that you re-cork the bottle and contact our customer service team immediately. 

Bottle Conditions

We inspect each bottle by hand to ensure it meets our strict criteria of being suitable for resale. Our team of professionals notes any cosmetic conditions during our inspection process so that our customers are fully aware of bottles that are not in excellent condition. In certain instances, minor conditions, such as nicked labels or capsules, are not catalogues depending on the bottle's value and/or age. 

Any bottle that cannot be fully authenticated by our team is immediately returned to the source from which is was acquired. 

The following are terms and abbreviations that may be associated with bottles that have cosmetic conditions:

BSL - Bin Stained Label

BWC - Broken Wax Capsule

CO - Capsule Oxidation

CT - Capsule Tears

CC - Corroded Capsule

CWC - Chipped Wax Capsule

CCV - Cut Capsule to Reveal Vintage

DC - Depressed Cork

DSL - Damp Stained Label

EC - Exposed Cork

ML - Molded Labels

NC - Nicked Capsule

NL - Nicked Label

OV - Obscured Vintage

OWC - Original Wood Case

RC - Raised Cork

SL - Scuffed Label

SB - Signed Bottle

TL - Torn Label

TTL - Tattered Label

TSL - Tissue Stained Label

WL - Wrinkled Label

WC - Wrinkled/loose capsule

WOL - Writing on Label

WSL - Wine Stained Label

 Ullage

The following are terms noting fill level for bottles that are not into the base of the neck:

BN - Bottom Neck; typical fill level for wines of any age 

VTS - Very Top Shoulder; common for bottles 10 years or older

TS - Top Shoulder; common for bottles 15 years or older

HS - High Shoulder; common for wines 30 years or older

MS - Mid Shoulder; not abnormal for wines 40 years or older

LS - Low Shoulder; rarely brought to market, exceptional situations