Thousands of rare and valuable wines, including sought-after 1982 Petrus, are currently valued at around $90,000 and are waiting to be returned to their rightful owners after being stored for two years in a suburban office park.
The famous New York City wine retailer, Shelley Lehmann, closed its doors in March 2023 amid numerous unanswered emails and calls from customers anxious about their missing wine. The store’s high-end liquor ended up in a basement in Rockland County, hidden among servers.
That situation is about to shift now that the landlord of the defunct Shelley Lehmann’s former Park Avenue location is notifying collectors that cases of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and other fine wines can be reclaimed right away.
A customer from the wine cave expressed excitement, saying, “I’m going to open a bottle for my 101-year-old father,” as he had been searching persistently for two cases of 1982 Petrus Bordeaux he purchased 40 years ago, now estimated to be worth between $70,000 and $90,000. It’s finally time to enjoy some wine.
Sources indicate that customers lost access to their vintages after Shelley Lehmann’s storage provider, Wine Cave, was evicted from a Queens warehouse in 2022. The wines were discreetly moved to an underground location at Blue Hill Plaza in Pearl River, New York, as revealed through court documents.
The landlord, linked to a Hong Kong-based real estate firm, recently began reconnecting with thousands of wine cave customers after gaining legal access to the basement during a lawsuit last year.
The landlord’s attorney, Edmund O’Brien, stated that the process involves checking case labels that include customer names and addresses, but complications arise since some clients have relocated or even passed away. Additionally, many customers lack proper documentation of their stored wines, which could further complicate matters.
O’Brien mentioned that it’s a painstaking process but assured that the landlord is committed to doing everything right, even if it takes time.
Some of the wine cases are identifiable by their unique packaging—either in wine-colored boxes or traditional wooden ones. Most carry noticeable white labels indicating their contents and ownership.
Another concern for wine enthusiasts has been maintaining climate control, as proper storage conditions are crucial to preventing spoilage.
Interestingly, some customers worry that issues with rent at the Queens property had caused a covert move to Pearl River. However, an insider connected to Sherry-Lehmann disagreed, stating that the electricity wouldn’t be cut off.
Customers only learned about the relocation after the FBI raided properties at Blue Hill Plaza in July 2023, according to legal documents.
During the raid, an FBI agent was on the lookout for Petrus and even spoke with a patron about the condition of his cases, ensuring that the facility remained cool enough for proper storage.
A collector shared, “I think my wine should be fine unless there’s an oven nearby.” O’Brien acknowledged concerns about power issues previously affecting storage in the former Shelley Lehmann location but noted that everything seems well-maintained at the new site in Rockland County.
He emphasized that they want customers to be able to retrieve their wine without worry about damage or spoilage.
The basement of Blue Hill Plaza, according to O’Brien, was kept quite chilly, needing jackets to be comfortable.
Numerous law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service, are currently investigating claims of missing wine linked to Shelley Lehmann.
Recently, a lawsuit was filed by the owners of Shelley Lehmann, Chris Green and Shaida Gilmer, contending that a former owner and a prominent journalist worked together to damage the company’s reputation in the media.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the investigation into Shelley Lehmann remains “active and ongoing,” though the FBI has opted not to comment.
An email from Balestriere claimed that the Wine Cave is doing everything it can to respond to customers and ensure their wines are well maintained, hoping for quick access for them.
Balestriere did not clarify what the Hong Kong-based firm may have done to impede the Wine Cave’s services.
O’Brien stated that clients have expressed to him their frustrations about often not receiving responses from Wine Cave. He added that it’s misleading to claim that everything possible was done by them, asserting that the issues stemmed from Shelley Lehmann and Wine Cave not adhering to their agreements.
